Food and drink business europe march 2014

March 2014

Looking ahead at Carlsberg Group

Food & Drink Business Website:

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C o n t e n t s

- 3 C OVER S TORY

- 53-57 D AIRY

Looking ahead at Carlsberg Group.

FrieslandCampina on track with route2020.

Broad-based growth by Emmi in Switzerland and abroad.

Zott continues its eastward expansion.

- 9 B REWING SABMiller develops ‘world beers’ to fuel value growth.

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Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen, CEO, Carlsberg Group.

- 68 G ROCERY M ARKET Strong performances from Sainsburys, Waitrose and discounters.

R EGULARS - 10 H EALTH & N UTRITION Food Matters Live secures support from across food, drink and public health as impressive programme and high profile speakers revealed.

P AGE 39

Irene Rosenfeld, CEO, Mondelez International.

Processing & Manufacturing . . . 6, 15-18, 59 Foodex Previews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-18

PAGE 53

Cees ‘t Hart, CEO, FrieslandCampina.

Bottling & Packaging . . 18, 26-37, 40, 58-63 PAGE 9

Alan Clark, CEO, SABMiller.

End of Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-34 Aseptic Packaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60-63

Quality & Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 64-67 Inspection Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64-67

Materials & Ingredients . . . . . . . . . . . . 43-51 Going nuts for almonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Snacks & Cereals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45-47 Sustainable Cocoa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48-51

- 13-18 E XHIBITION Foodex 2014 returns to the NEC to uncover innovation for food and drink manufacturers.

PAGE 55

Urs Riedener, CEO, Emmi.

Managing Director: Colin Murphy Editor: Mike Rohan Group Operations Manager: Sylvia McCarthy

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- 39 B ISCUITS Mondelez International invests further in European biscuit production base.

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FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

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COVER STORY

Looking Ahead at Carlsberg Group Having delivered a solid financial performance in 2013, Carlsberg Group plans to further consolidates its strong market positions in Western and Eastern Europe while investing in further expansion in Asia during 2014, as the global brewer maintains its tight control over costs to drive earnings growth.

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arlsberg Group’s business is focused nificant challenges in recent times due to on three global regions – Western tough economic conditions, rising prices and Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia. a changed regulatory environment, the Western Europe remains the most Russian beer market has generally exhibited profitable region, accounting for 47% of healthy and consistent value growth. Calsberg group operating profit in 2013, with Eastern Group is the second leading brewer in Europe generating 36% and Asia the remainUkraine, the second largest beer market in ing 17%. In terms of operating margin, Eastern Europe. However, this market faces Eastern Europe is the most lucrative region an uncertain future due to the current politifor Carlsberg Group with a margin of 23.3% cal unrest. in 2013, ahead of Asia on 19.5% and Carlsberg Group’s business in Asia comWestern Europe at 13.6%. prises a presence in mature markets such as The world’s fourth largest brewer has Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore along adopted a GloCal operating model, which with investments in growing beer markets entails focusing on globalising, optimising, like China, India and Vietnam. centralising and standardising processes across the group while recognising the strength of local brands and initiatives. Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen, chief executive of Carlsberg Group also seeks to maintain a Carlsberg Group. strong position in its markets to benefit from economies of scale and to increase profitability. The group is well 2013 Financial balanced in its exposure to growing, emerging markets and mature Performance markets to ensure sustainable cash flow generation.

Despite the challeng“The Carlsberg Group has a very strong portfolio of brands ing economic enviaddressing the relevant consumer needs and occasions. An impor- ronment across West tant part of our commercial strategy and an important means to ern and Eastern continued improvement in our market share is to grow our strong Europe, which resultlocal power brands as well as our international premium brands – ed in a 2% organic Carlsberg, Tuborg, Kronenbourg 1664, Grimbergen and fall in group beer volSomersby,” explains Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen, chief executive of umes, Carlsberg GrCarlsberg Group. oup managed to achieve volume and Global Presence value share growth Carlsberg Group is across all its regions the second largest during 2013, while brewer in Western continuing to expand Europe but the region its footprint in Asia. chiefly consists of Carlsberg Group’s mature beer markets growing beer volumes with consumption in Asia were insuffigenerally flat or in cient to offset the slight decline. In declines in Eastern Eastern Europe, Carls and Western Europe, berg Group is the as the beer consumpstrong market leader tion in these markets in the region’s main continued to fall. Tuborg is the fastest growing international However, in all three premium beer brand in China and the largest Carlsberg Group is the second largest brewer in market, Russia. Alth Western Europe. ough faced with sig- regions, the group’s premium brand in India.

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

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beer volumes grew ahead of the overall markets. Carlsberg Group expanded its market share in Western Europe for the third consecutive year in 2013. The brewer managed to The Carlsberg brand declined 2% in 2013 but this increase operating is in comparison to the strong performance in the profit and profit marprevious year. gin despite a decline in volumes in Eastern Europe, and achieved strong volume, revenue and profit growth in the Asia region.

Net revenue at DKr66.6 billion (Eur8.9 billion) grew 1% organically in 2013 with a price/mix gain of 2% offsetting a 1% fall in total beverage volume.

Carlsberg reported operating profit of DKr9.84 billion, up 1% on the prior year.

“Ensuring an appropriate balance between volume and value in all our markets is key to the Carlsberg Group and in 2013 we again improved both net revenue and gross profit per hl,” points out Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen.

tion and business standardisation project (BSP1) in West ern Europe. BSP1 is designed to improve capabilities, customer service and efficiency, and increase speed and asset utilisation.

The programne was introduced into Sweden in April, followed by Norway in November.

“The next market to go live will be the UK in 2014. The implementation process is running according to schedule and with no major disruption to our daily business,” remarks Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen.

Progress also continues to be made on the CSR front. “In 2013, we delivered on our three-year targets for energy and CO2 and we almost succeeded in reaching our three-year target for water,” he points out. “We have subsequently set new three-year targets to maintain the leading position among our international peers.”

A key priority in Carlsberg Group’s CSR efforts is packaging. In this regard, the group has joined forces with key global partners to Last year, Carlsberg Group commenced the rethink the design and production of packagimplementation of its supply chain integration and ing material. This co-operation was formalised business standardisation project (BSP1) in Western in 2013 through the Carlsberg Circular Europe.

Community (CCC).

Profitability Group operating profit grew organically by 5% with all three regions contributing, with particularly strong growth in Asia. Group operating profit margin increased by 10bp to 14.8%. Eastern Europe and Asia improved operating profit margins, while the Western European margin was flat versus last year.

“The Carlsberg Group delivered solid earnings growth driven by strong and focused execution in spite of an overall challenging macro-environment,” he says. “This shows our ability to constantly execute and innovate effectively while maintaining tight control of our costs.”

Reported net profit was DKr5.47 billion, down from DKr5.61 billion in 2012. How ever, the 2012 figure was positively impacted by the disposal of the group’s Copen hagen brewery site.

The group’s portfoCarlsberg Group is the strong market leader in lio of international Russia. premium brands continued to grow, with particularly strong performances by Tuborg (+10%) and cider brand Somersby (+78%). Tuborg is the fastest growing international premium beer brand in China and the largest premium brand in India. The Carlsberg brand declined 2% for the full year but this is in comparison to the strong performance in the previous year when sales were buoyed by activities surrounding sponsorship of the EURO 2012 soccer tournament.

Carlsberg Group strengthened its presence in Asia during the year, including increased ownership of Chongqing Brewery and construction of breweries in Myanmar and China.

Improving Efficiency Last year, Carlsberg Group commenced the implementation of its supply chain integra4

Outlook Carlsberg Group is adhering to the strategy that served it well in 2013. “In 2014 and beyond, we will continue to invest in growth and efficiency opportunities, and build on the strengths of the Carlsberg Group to ensure that we capture both the short- and longer-term opportunities that are present in our markets. To do so, we will further develop and invest in our Asian business to ensure that we continuously position it to capture the growth opportunities in the region,” says Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen.

The group’s Asian markets are expected to continue to grow in line with 2013. However, the beer markets in Western European will decline slightly in 2014, in spite of the macro-economic situation in some markets having improved slightly in the second half of 2013. Carlsberg Group projects that the Russian market will decline by low-single-digits in volume terms, while continuing healthy value growth, assuming there are no further regulatory changes.

He continues: “In Western Europe, we will change our business model and organisation, and drive the ongoing efficiency improvements while maintaining a focused commercial agenda that will further strengthen our business and the region’s profitability. And in Russia, we will utilise the strength of our Russian brand portfolio, route-to-market, innovation capabilities and execution skills to further strengthen our market position and improve profitability.”

The Carlsberg Group head concludes: “We will continue our tight cost agenda across all markets and functions to ensure that the group delivers earnings growth. In 2014, the focus on strong execution, both internally and externally, will be even more important as we assume significant headwind from currencies.”

The Danish brewer expects to grow operating profit organically by high-single-digit percentages and reported adjusted net profit by mid-single-digit percentages during 2014.

Operating profit increased organically by 5% and adjusted net profit increased by 5% in 2013. J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

I BREWING

Yeast Foam Detected, Overflow Stopped – Level Switch in Brewery Applications

By Thomas Jydby Hedemark, Industry Segment Manager for Food & Beverage, Baumer east is an essential ingredient of the ferY mentation process for brewers. But yeast can also be a problem for the brewery.

Recently Baumer helped the Carlsberg brewery solve a problem with left over yeast from the fermentation process – by using the CleverLevel switch.

The Carlsberg brewery was founded in 1847 and is today the fourth largest brewery in the world. The production and distribution center is located in Fredericia (Denmark) and runs day and night.

Carlsberg produces 2.2 million hectoliters of beer annually and employs around 45.000 staff worldwide. Every day Carlsberg sells around 120 million beers globally.

Baumer has been supplying Carlsberg with instrumentation for more than 10 years. Initially to the beer production lines

CleverLevel – Level switch LFFS/LBFS and configuration tool FlexProgrammer.

near Copenhagen and since the relocation in 2008 to Carlsberg’s new production and distribution center in Fredericia.

Fermentation is the process by which yeast converts the glucose in the wort to alcohol and carbon dioxide gas – giving the beer its alcohol content and its carbonation.

When fermentation is nearly complete (the process takes around 4 to 6 days), most of the yeast will settle to the bottom of the fermentation tank. The yeast is then removed and reused for several fermentation process6

Heavy build-up of foam in the excess yeast tanks.

es before finally being stored in an excess yeast tank and sold off as animal feed. In this final stage of filling the excess yeast tanks, Carlsberg experienced overflow problems due to the heavy build-up of foam which was preventing triggering of the traditional level vibrating forks.

The solution for Carlsberg was using the Baumer CleverLevel switch for detecting the filling level in the yeast tanks. The CleverLevel uses the frequency sweep technology and is a level switch universal for all types of media, whether the media is wet, dry, sticky or in this case foam – whereas the traditional fork simply can’t recognise the range and condition of media. The CleverLevel is maintenance free due to the minimal installation depth of 15 mm and the self-draining sensor tip. It is also approved to both 3A and EHEDG standards. It can be configured visually and easily via the dedicated software and the FlexProgrammer.

The switching range can be adjusted as required to ignore foams during maximum or minimum monitoring. This function can also be used when the level switch is supposed to ignore adhesive substances, as for example in tanks with liquid chocolate.

Even when the tank is empty, the sensor and tank wall are covered with chocolate.

When configured accordingly, the FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

CleverLevel will only be triggered when the tank is actually full or empty. The graphic configuration software also increases user friendliness.

Using traditional forks one version is needed for dry media (powder, grain etc.), one version for wet media and one version for sticky media. The CleverLevel can be used through the entire process, from when the barley arrives in the storage tanks to the finished beer.

Lone Hojbjerg Petersen, Maintenance Coordinator at Carlsberg, Denmark, says: “The CleverLevel switch has solved our problems with overflow in the excess yeast tanks due to its unique and easy configuration options. We are now considering using the CleverLevel switch in our CIP caustic tanks, where we experience similar issues with foam and overflow.”

The change-over from the traditional fork to the CleverLevel has completely eliminated the problem with overflow in the excess yeast tanks. The benefit to Carlsberg has been a more environmentally friendly solution, as left over yeast is not entering the sewage system due to overflow.

There has also been a cost saving benefit to Carlsberg due to process optimization and less required maintenance.

For more information visit www.baumer .com/brewery. J

CleverLevel switch for detecting the filling level in the excess yeast tank.

I BREWING

SABMiller Develops World Beers to Fuel Value Growth SABMilller is outperforming the static UK lager market as it continues to develop the ‘World Beers’ category by investing in its Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell.brands.

ABMiller’s UK subsidiary, Miller Brands UK, has grown domestic lager volume sales by 5% in the six months to 30 September 2013. This growth was supported by the Pilsner Urquell brand which performed strongly during the period, growing by 17%, helped by rapidly accelerating sales of its unpasteurised tank beer following a trial launched in the summer. The continued strength of the Peroni Nastro Azzurro brand in the UK also contributed to Miller Brands UK’s performance.

Launched in 2005, Miller Brands has responsibility for the development of SABMiller’s international premium brands across the UK and Ireland; these include Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Miller Genuine Draft.

Following a highly successful trial period MBUK is now expanding the distribution of Pilsner Urquell tank beer in the UK. MBUK will install further Pilsner Urquell tanks in key London locations during the second half of fiscal year 2014.

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Gary Haigh, managing director, Miller Brands UK, says: “The British beer drinker is one of the world’s most cosmopolitan which makes this an ideal market in which to introduce international beers served in the authentic way. The early success of unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell in the UK underpins our belief that consumers are looking for authenticity and differentiation in the beers they drink. By partnering with pubs and other on-premise outlets, brewers have a central role to play in reinvigorating

pub culture in the UK and getting consumers passionate about beer again.”

World Beers About 77% of Miller Brands UK’s volume is generated in the ‘World Beers’ sector, which is continuing to drive value growth in the overall lager category. Enjoying year-onyear growth of 17%, the World Beers sector is now worth £2 billion, according to SABMiller.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro is the number one World Beer brand and continues to lead the category, with consumers perceiving it as the most ‘worth paying more for’ and most stylish beer brand available .

UK Business Although it has no production units in the UK, SABMiller recently opened a new £3 million research brewery at the University of Nottingham, putting England at heart of its global brewing research. Furthermore, SABMiller has its primary listing on the London Stock Exchange.

Miller Brands UK is part of SABMiller Europe, which currently operates 18 breweries in eight countries - Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and The Netherlands. It is the first or second ranked brewer by market share in the majority of these countries. SABMiller Europe also exports significant volumes to other beer markets in Europe, of which the largest are the UK and Germany, and to other regions of the world.

SABMiller has developed in Europe by focusing on establishing a strong presence in the developing markets of Central and Eastern Europe, but has also made substantial acquisitions in Western Europe in Italy and The Netherlands.

Decline in Europe However, the volume-led growth in the UK as well as in Romania and Slovakia is failing to offset volume declines in Poland and the Czech Republic. SABMiller’s European business saw net producer revenue (NPR) FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

Alan Clark, chief executive of SABMiller.

decline 1% on an organic, constant currency basis in the first half of the year to 30 September 2013. Reported EBITA margin fell by 190 basis points due chiefly to difficult trading conditions in Poland.

The decline in Europe has continued into the third quarter, ended 31 December 2013, with NPR on an organic, constant currency basis declining by 6% and lager volumes down 5%. The UK remains a bright spot with domestic volumes up 9% led by Peroni Nastro Azzurro as a result of increased distribution and an improved rate of sale.

Despite the set-back in Europe as well as a decline in North America, SABMiller continues to drive revenue and growth globally.

Business Potential According to Alan Clark, chief executive of SABMiller, the global brewer is continuing to deliver on the potential of its businesses in both developed and developing markets, with revenue and margin improvements amid mixed trading conditions.

“Growth in the third quarter was driven by our emerging market businesses where we are successfully targeting new consumers through affordability and premiumisation initiatives across our brand portfolios,” He says: “This was in spite of continued weakness in consumer sentiment, which particularly impacted our European and North American businesses.” J 9

I HEALTH & NUTRITION

Food Matters Live Secures Support From Across Food, Drink and Public Health as Impressive Programme and High Profile Speakers Revealed Matters Live, the new event that makes Fhealthood the critical connections between food, and nutrition, has started to reveal the impressive programme that will be on offer at the inaugural event which will take place at ExCeL London on Tuesday 18 – Thursday 20 November.

Of the 450 speakers that will deliver the three-day Nourishing a Nation conference and multi-stream seminar programme, over 150 have already been confirmed, including Michael Hallsworth, Principal Advisor and Head of Health, The Behavioural Insights Team, Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability, British Retail Consortium, Professor Judith Buttriss, Director General, British Nutrition Foundation and Luciana Berger, MP for Liverpool and Wavertree, Shadow Public Health Minister.

Ensuring the quality and rigour of the discussions, the conference will be chaired by respected journalists and broadcasters, with Gavin Esler, Mishal Husain and Kate Silverton amongst the familiar names from the world of current affairs taking part.

The impressive conference programme, seminar streams and attractions at Food Matters Live have just been revealed.

The Forum And in a departure from the more familiar presentation format, Food Matters Live will also introduce The Forum, a creative space for debate, performance and experiment and featuring Professor Mark Post, Scientist, Professor of Physiology and Head of The Cultured Beef Programme, The University of Maastricht, Emily Watkins, award-winning executive chef, The Kingham Plough, former chef de partie at The Fat Duck, local food produce enthusiast and Prue Leith CBE, restaurateur, caterer, 10

Luciana Berger, MP for Liverpool and Wavertree,

Health Responsibility Deal Food Network, the Institute of Food Science & Technology, the British Dietetic Association, Leatherhead Food Research and Campden BRI are amongst the influential supporters of the event.

Melanie Leech, Director General at the Food and Drink Federation, was amongst the first to welcome the event: “We are pleased to support Food Matters Live alongside other partners from across the food supply chain, health and academic communities, and government. The importance of taking a multi-stakeholder approach to improved nutrition and public health is reflected in the varied line-up of expert speakers and broad range of topics covered in the programme. We look forward to engaging with Food Matters Live’s organisers and partners to help deliver a constructive and impactful event.’

Shadow Public Health Minister, is amongst the 450 high profile speakers that will deliver the impressive conference and seminar programme at Food Matters Live in November.

broadcaster, cookery writer and former chair of The Children’s Food Trust. Events in the Forum will be introduced by well-known media figures Justin Webb, Sheila Dillon and Simon Parkes.

Seminar Streams Seminar streams take a practical and applied approach to eight different themes – Nutrition for health and wellbeing, Salt, sugar and fat: strategies to reduce consumption, Nurturing natural, Free-from, allergy and intolerance, Future food business: strategies for growth, Future nutrition: advances in science, technology and business models, Packaging, health and wellbeing: solutions to enhance brand and Marketing matters: strategies for health and wellbeing brands – with expert speakers representing the breadth of the food and drink sector and public health, including insights from leading research organisations, manufacturers, retailers and food service suppliers such as Nestle Institute of Health Sciences, Marks & Spencer, Wm Morrisons, Compass and Sodexo.

The launch of Food Matters Live has been received with enthusiasm. The Food and Drink Federation, The Department of Health, Public FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

Exhibitors Suppliers too have been quick to embrace Food Matters Live. Food ingredients and finished product manufacturers Rousselot, GNT International, AstaREAL, Univar Europe, Gelita, Warburtons, a2 Milk and Ronan Foods along with research and development organisations such as RSSL, Intertek, MMR Research will be amongst the 300 exhibitors showcasing the latest products, research and services at the Food Matters Live exhibition.

Entry to Food Matters Live, including the conference, Forum, seminars and the exhibition is free of charge to relevant visitors. For more information and for the latest speakers and exhibitors, visit www.foodmatterslive.com. J

Over 300 exhibitors and 12,000 visitors from the food and drink sector, and public health, are expected to attend the first Food Matters Live at ExCeL London.

I EXHIBITION

Foodex 2014 Returns to the NEC to Uncover Innovation For Food and Drink Manufacturers oodex 2014, the UK’s premier trade event for the food and drink processing, packaging and logistics industries, is returning to the NEC, Birmingham from the 24-26 March 2014.

The show offers a one-stop shop for manufacturing professionals across the full industry spectrum including bakery, beverage, dairy, fresh, ingredients, logistics, meat and seafood sectors.

The show will shine a light on top trends in the food manufacturing sectors: from improving traceability and consumer trust, transforming productivity and highlighting the latest new ingredients and super foods to make an impression on the industry.

Chris Sturman, chief executive of the Food Storage and Distribution Federation, says: “Foodex is an exhibition which FSDF has been proud to be associated with since its inception and has always provided a great business platform for both the Federation and our members.

The show offers businesses of all sizes the opportunity to meet with live or potential customers and suppliers, as well as industry experts like the FSDF who can offer invaluable guidance and advice on the issues facing the industry.”

As part of Foodex’s ongoing commitment to the sector, the 2014 event will host a new ‘Sustainability Zone’ for the latest innovations to help improve waste, energy efficiency and steps on how to

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reduce your carbon footprint.

The Sustain ability Zone will offer advice for the who le industry, with involvement from trade associations like the Anaerobic Digest ion and Biogas Trade Assoc iation (ADBA) and sessions from key industry experts like Richard Gueter bock, managing director of Clear fleau, who will speak on ‘How to change waste into energy’.

The Great British Bounce Back 2014 Returning to the 2014 Foodex exhibition the Great British Bounce Back will once again showcase food and drink manufacturers that have helped to lead the UK economy out of the recession. The competition will showcase the best practice examples from across the industry in a bid to identify those businesses going the extra mile and investing in the future of the UK’s manufacturing industries. For more information on how to enter visit www.foodex .co.uk/GBBB. New to the exhibition for 2014 Foodex Engage is an online platform to enable visitors to plan each day of the show with search capabilities organised by product and companies.

Using the service, visitors can search and connect with exhibitors, prearrange onsite meet ings and search for seminars. For those visitors booking more than five FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

meetings at the show, Foodex Engage also offers a VIP service to help including fast track registration and access to a Foodex Engage Lounge.

Introducing Comedy Night at Foodex 2014 Visitors and exhibitors will also be invited to attend the first Foodex comedy night on Monday 24th March to be held in Gallery Restaurant at the NEC. The “Live at the NEC, A night out with Foodex” event will be hosted by comedian John Moloney and feature performances from comedians Bob Mills, Geoff Norcott and Phil Butler.

Foodex is co-located with Food & Drink Expo, incorporating Farm Shop & Deli Show and the National Convenience Show. Foodex 2014 will also feature competitions such as the NFMFT National Meat Products Competition and Premier Young Butcher Competition 2014. The exhibition is free to attend – visitors can register via the website. Visitor badges are valid across all three days of the show and will allow entry into co-located shows. As this is a trade show, strictly no under 16s will be admitted.

For more information on Foodex 2014, please visit www.foodex.co.uk or join the conversation on Twitter (@Foodex #FDX2014) or the Foodex 2014 LinkedIn group. J 13

I FOODEX 2014 PREVIEW

Interfood’s ‘Magnificent 7’ on Show at Foodex nterfood Technology will once again be Ishowcase returning to Foodex, using stand Q320 to many of the latest developments from the company’s seven divisions which collectively represents one of the most comprehensive ranges of machinery and equipment in the food processing market.

On show for the first time at Foodex will be Interfood’s Packing Solutions Division, the latest addition to the company’s product offering which now covers Ingredients & Product Development, Fresh Meat Portioning, Preparation, Curing to Clipping, Cooking & Cooling/Pasteurisation, Slicing, and Packing Solutions.

Divisions-based Approach

Interfood has moved towards this Divisions-based approach, with each Division operating within the Interfood business but offering specific capabilities and dedicated teams of engineers and support personnel.

The Weber CCS 906 slicer will feature the new power control system operator interface.

includes compact and fully automatic packing systems manufactured by Buhmann, plus checkweighing, metal detection and xray systems from Sparc Systems.

Latest Developments

Interfood’s Packing Solutions division, with its compact and fully automatic solutions from Buhmann, will be on show for the first time at Foodex.

Jim Sydenham, Joint MD of Interfood, says: “We have introduced the divisions to allow us to maintain a clear focus on specific processes and products. From discussions with our customers it became clear that there was a lot of interest in automated solutions for end of line processes, hence we introduced the Packing Solutions Division. This has been operating now for about a year but this is the first time we’ve had an opportunity to include it at Foodex.” The Packing Solutions range

There will also be many of the latest developments from the leading manufacturers that Interfood represent in the UK and Eire, including the Weber CCS 906 slicer and the TVI GMS 500 fresh meat portioner. The 906 is Weber’s latest addition to its range of high performance slicing lines and will feature the new power control system operator interface. This international award winning operator system is based on an approach which is very familiar to many through the use of smartphones and tablets, employing graphics which are swiped on a touchscreen to bring up the various options. The system’s in-built intelligence reduces the number of parameters, thereby significantly simplifying operation, with all important settings available via a single touch.

Manufactured by TVI, the GMS 500 offers the ultimate in flexibility, allowing bone-in and bone-less meats to be portioned and diced all on one machine, with changing from product to product achieved in minutes and without the need of any tools.

Mark Bishop, joint MD of Interfood, comments: “We know how important yield FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

is in today’s meat processing applications and with the GMS 500, the highest possible yields are achieved through the patented gripper-less press and slice system which also ensures a marked improvement in pack presentation. The machine can be supplied with its own grading line, reducing giveaway to an absolute minimum and ensuring only accurate portions are delivered to the packaging machine.” J

The TVI GMS 500 fresh meat portioner can portion and dice both bone-in and bone-less meats.

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I FOODEX 2014 PREVIEWS

New Hygienic Rooms For Fresh Food Processing hen maintaining a hygienic environW ment there are many elements to be considered by a contractor before any construction can begin. One of the main elements in the food processing industry is the flooring. Having an inappropriate flooring installed in a processing room that is in use and cleaned down on a daily basis can lead to a number of problems that directly lead to health and safety issues around the work place.

Recently, John Lord Specialist Flooring has been working with the fresh produce manufacturers, Natures Way Foods, who demand the highest standard of hygienic environments when processing their fresh food products for their retailers and foodservice companies.

Once briefed about the specific require-

ments for their new production rooms, John Lord chose the optimal flooring product to withstand the daily operations.

Using their British made resin flooring product, John Lord manufactured the flooring components of their Uragard HTAS resin flooring and packaged them ready to be transported to site. The Uragard HTAS was chosen to meet the demands of the company’s safety requirements. With a high level slip resistance and a heavy duty performance, the daily operatives working in the area will have reassurance of safety under foot in even the worst working conditions.

To ensure that the water flow in the cleaning process was directed towards the drainage channels, John Lord worked closely with ASPEN by Canal Engineering Ltd to create the perfect floor fall design. ASPEN manufactured and installed specially adapted wall kerbing to assist the new floor design for the rooms and installed their wide stainless steel drainage systems for an increased drainage capacity to cater for the water flow rates.

Once ASPEN had installed the wall Kerbing, the John Lord installation team

mixed and laid the fast curing, resin flooring to the bespoke floor design incorporating the specified falls towards the drainage channels ready for the new food processing rooms to be occupied.

Part of the same group, John Lord and ASPEN often work closely providing a high standard service spanning across a variety of industries. This March, both will be exhibiting at MAINTEC, stand M6G, and FOODEX, stand H289, where they will be displaying their latest product innovations at the NEC, Birmingham. J

Latest Product Innovations From ASPEN at Foodex 2014 n specialist food processing environImaintaining ments practicality is as important as the necessary hygienic conditions. Inappropriate working conditions directly affect the daily operations in food and drink processing, which develops health and safety problems that can stop

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operations in their tracks and lead to processing delays.

Recently, ASPEN by Canal Engineering Ltd has been working with one of the largest makers and suppliers of vinegars in the UK and Europe, Mizkan UK Ltd. Mizkan’s demanding daily operations left the factory in a critical condition, needing brand new drainage systems throughout the factory to cater for the continuous factory water flow and cleaning operations.

Using their British engineered stainless steel products, ASPEN manufactured and installed their Colorado 170 Drainage Channel, 3Bar Drain Cover and a number of Drain Outlets, accompanied by bespoke sumps for maintenance checks.

The wider drainage channel option was chosen for an increased drainage capacity FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

to cater for the water flow levels that occur during the cleaning processes around the factory.

Working across a variety of different industries, ASPEN has manufactured and installed many of their stainless steel products across the UK and abroad providing a lifetime guarantee on their service. This March ASPEN will be exhibiting at FOODEX, stand H289, and MAINTEC, stand M6G, where they will be displaying their latest product innovations at the NEC, Birmingham. J

I FOODEX 2014 PREVIEWS

Paragon Processing Solutions Return to Foodex in 2014 aragon Processing Solutions supply and maintain quality custom made processP ing equipment to the food industry from the following well known and respected manufacturers who will be exhibiting on Stand L353 in Hall 20 at Foodex this year.

Magurit: Talk to Andreas Hager, MD of Magurit, about frozen block reduction systems. Cutting, slicing and dicing machines for fresh or frozen product, raw or cooked meat, poultry, fish, butter, cheese, fruit and vegetables.

Blentech: Discuss with Dan Voit, President of Blentech, Cooking, sautéing, frying, blanching and cooling with twin or single shafted horizontal blending batch cookers or continuous systems, continuous full absorption and batch rice and pasta cookers, processed cheese and hummus systems, scraped surface heat exchangers and high shear mixers, cookers for soups, sauces and pumpable products.

Gunther: Speak with Andy Hofmann about Gunther design and manufacturing

innovations with their injectors, brine preparation systems and tumblers, tenderisers and steakers, for the meat, ham and poultry industries.

Paragon Processing Solutions also supply Bridge machinery who design and engineer slitters, portioners, formers and flatteners.

Ray Chance, MD of Paragon Processing Solutions, looks forward to welcoming you on stand L353 to discuss your processing needs. J

In-process Moisture, Fat and Protein Measurement Solutions From NDC DC develops and manufactures high performance in-process moisture, fat and protein N measurement solutions for food products in a wide variety of sectors including dairy powders, cereals, chocolate, coffee, potato and corn based snacks, biscuits, corn, sugar , starch and meat.

NDC’s solutions are application-engineered for the specific requirements of your process to insure accurate, stable and robust measurements from day one.

NDC’s non-contacting NIR (near infrared) technology is designed specifically to meet the hygiene and ambient demands of the food manufacturing process and is robust enough to deliver outstanding results in challenging processing environments.

NDC offers three approaches to process measurement: • On-Line, typically over a moving conveyor belt, the MM710e industrial moisture gauge feeds analog and digital/Ethernet connectivity to the process automation system for closed-loop control. A “Gated” version allows measurement of discontinuous products such as • For products in sealed ducts, the MM10e is used with a PowderVision sampler to create an In-Line moisture measurement solution.

• For At-Line or laboratory moisture analyses, the InfraLab Bench-top Moisture Analyzer measures samples in just 5 seconds requiring no special operator skills.

Both MM710e and InfraLab are available in single and multi-component configurations depending on requirements. Visit www.ndc.com/food for more information. J

Spiroflow to Showcase Exceptional Equipment For Safe Food Handling hifting millions of tons of ingredients S is part and parcel of the production process for many food sectors, which is why Spiroflow will be showcasing the latest in bulk handling and conveying equipment on Stand Q340 during Foodex.

Transferring food powders and granules from one area of a factory to another for packaging and distribution requires a system that is fast, easy to route, has few moving parts, empties the system of product with minimum residue and provides a dust-tight operation -– essential when

dealing with potentially combustible material.

Flexibility and totally secure handling is required if products have to be conveyed dust-free over long distances and complex routes within an operating plant.

Spiroflow, a world-leading manufacturer of ATEX approved conveying and bulk handling systems, will be demonstrating a range of solutions for food materials where the most rigid standards in hygiene and containment need to be met and maintained.

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

Sure to attract visitors will be a working flexible screw conveyor along with a bulk bag discharger, ideal for the totally hygienic discharging and distribution of food ingredients, including sugar, flour and spices, within a factory environment.

For more information on the company’s products and services visit www.spiroflow.com or call +44 (0) 1200 422525. J 17

I FOODEX 2014 PREVIEWS

Ravenwood Celebrates a Decade as Linerless Labelling Experts avenwood Packaging is celebrating 10 years of producing linerless labelling R technology during 2014 after breaking

Birmingham (24-26 March).

The company will be showing its new ‘slideable’ labels, these linerless labels can be applied automatically by Nobac 500 applicators. Unlike conventional linerless labels they slide on the pack allowing the customers to view the product inside. The ‘slideable’ labels are sleeves with a difference in that they come on a roll.

Also new for 2014 is ‘skin pack’ labelling which are now applied by Nobac linerless labelling machines to give products an extended shelf life. The main benefit of skin pack technology is that various products can be packed in fewer trays as the

through the milestone of selling 1,000 linerless applicators. The UK-based company which has pioneered linerless labelling since it set up in 2004 has customers spanning major supermarkets and brands including Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer.

Two new concepts from the linerless professionals will be showcased by the company (Stand G360) during its tenth anniversary year at Foodex 2014 at NEC

product can be applied to fit to a standard tray which can simply incorporate large and smaller items. J

PA to Unveil Revolutionary New Pack Format at Foodex 2014 t Foodex 2014, Packaging Automation A will be launching SkinPAC, the revolutionary new pack format for enhanced presentation, preservation and protection of fresh products such as meat and fish. The SkinPAC system of sealing uses a highly transparent barrier film that wraps tightly around the product like a second skin and forms a seal with the bottom of the tray.

This pack format offers high visibility vacuum packs aimed at improving shelf life, better product quality and packaging reduction with the use of a shallower tray than would otherwise be possible. Skin packing which originally found favour in the packaging of fish has recently been adopted for the packaging of meat, poultry and game products.

PA’s range of tray sealers can be easily adapted to seal trays atmospherically, with MAP (gas flushing or vacuum) or skin

packing. This flexibility future proofs the investment in new machinery and allows food producers to alter pack formats in the future to suit retailer demands without additional investment.

As with all new pack formats, PA’s seal technologist is on hand to assist customers who are planning to adopt this new packaging technology with free sealing trials and shelf life tests in the company’s test facility in Knutsford, Cheshire.

PA will also be demonstrating the brand new ultra low energy range of tray sealers that eliminate 90% of the running costs when compared to conventional pneumatic tray sealers. At the top end of the range, a brand new electric machine is being launched at the show that offers the highest throughput in flexible tray sealing in the market at 150 packs per minute single lane. J

Fast and Green Tray Sealing Solutions From Proseal brand new tray sealer and the latest A innovations in energy saving systems will be the major highlights of the Proseal stand at Foodex (Stand N369).

The heat sealing specialist will show for

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the first time in the UK its new GT5 tray sealer, which in twin configuration is capable of achieving in excess of 200 trays per minute across all pack formats, and demonstrate the benefits of its advanced E-Seal® and Hot Rod systems.

The Proseal GT5 has been designed to be fully adaptable, enabling food manufacturers easily to add and change pack formats to meet customer demands without the need to invest in new equipment. Tray formats the machine can handle include atmospheric sealing, MAP gas flushing, Vacuum MAP sealing, skin packaging below and above the flange, and Skin Deep.

The compact design maximises the use of FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

floor space while new Proseal-designed features Pro-Motion, which speeds up the infeed of trays to the sealer, and Pro-Tect, an advanced user login security system, join the established Auto Tool connection system for fast tool changes.

Proseal’s revolutionary high-force, highperformance E-Seal system increases the effectiveness of the sealing process while at the same time achieving a dramatic reduction in air consumption. The patented technology delivers a seal force typically 260% greater than traditional high speed tray sealing machinery but consumes only 8% of the air required for other heat seal machinery. J

I PASTA

Barilla Group Continues its International Expansion Italian food group Barilla, the world’s leading pasta producer, is planning to open a new factory in Russia as it continues its international expansion. ith consumption of 1.1 million tonnes per annum, Russia is the world’s fourth largest pasta market behind the US (2.7 million tones), Italy (1.5 million tonnes) and Brazil.

Barilla was established in Parma in 1877 as a shop producing bread and pasta. Pietro Barilla, a grandson of the company founder, who joined the family business in 1947, is credited with masterminding the transformation of Barilla from just another small Italian pasta producer into the world’s largest and best-known pasta brand.

Currently producing about 1 million tonnes of pasta annually, Barilla Group is the world leader with 10.5% of the global pasta market.

Barilla Group is still family owned. In addition to its dominance in pasta, the Parma-based company is also a leader in pasta sauce in continental Europe, bakery products in Italy, and crisp bread in Scandinavia. Barilla Group owns 30 pro-

W

Barilla Group owns 30 production sites (14 in Italy and 16 abroad) and exports to more than 100 countries.

duction sites (14 in Italy and 16 abroad) and exports to more than 100 countries.

Barilla Group’s aim is to grow aggressively in emerging markets, taking Italy’s most symbolic dish from Asia to the Americas.

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

International Development Barilla is pre-eminent in US pasta with a market share of 30%. Having entered the US market in 1996; Barilla became the leading brand within three years. Barilla Group initially imported product from Italy and packaged it locally before constructing its first US production plant in 1998 and adding a second facility in 2006, to meet rising consumer demand.

Barilla Group is now attempting to emulate its US success in Russia, Brazil and other international markets.

In Brazil, where pasta volumes are growing by year-on-year by 85%, last year Barilla Group launched a new range of locally produced pasta and sauces designed to meet the taste and requirements of Brazilian consumers. The company’s aim is to increase revenues in Brazil from Eur18 million in 2012 to Eur200 million by 2020.

“Our idea is that of not being an exporter but to get into a market, and establish a plant and a company to serve the local con21

sauce factory, after 40 years during which its sauces were produced with external partners. The new factory has the capacity to produce 60,000 tons of sauces per year. sumer,” points out Claudio Colzani, chief executive of Barilla Group. “We are not like our competitors, who are mainly exporters.”

Barilla now intends to open a new pasta production facility at Solnechnogorsk in the Moscow region, and to double sales in Russia each year for the next three years or more.

Doubling Turnover The Italian food group’s strategy is to double its revenue from Eur3.2 billion to Eur6.4 billion by 2020. Most of the anticipated growth will emanate from the Americas and Asia, where the company aims to boost its presence in pasta, sauces and Italian meal solutions.

In 2013, Barilla Group sold its Lieken German bakery products business to Czech group Agrofert, in order to focus on growing in pasta, sauces and ready meals worldwide, and to strengthen its branded bakery business in Italy and other key European markets. Lieken had net sales of approximately Eur780 million in 2012 and employs 4,700 people. It was bought by Barilla Group in 2002, as part of the acquisition of Kamps.

The disposal has allowed Barilla Group to further strengthen its financial standing and to concentrate on developing its core business, consolidating its leadership in the European and US markets, and to take advantage of new opportunities in emerging markets, such as Brazil and Russia.

According to Claudio Colzani, Barilla Group increased volume sales by 3% and net sales value by 4% in 2013.

“Our main goal is to double revenues by 2020, focusing on our core business,” he says. “We want to aggressively grow in emerging markets, taking Italy’s most symbolic dish from Asia to the Americas, adjusting our product offer to the requirements of local consumers without losing our Italian identity.”

To facilitate its ambitions of taking Italian-style main courses to every corner of the globe, Barilla Group recently established a new Eur40 million dedicated pasta

Gluten-free Pasta Another new departure for Barilla Group is the launch of gluten-free pasta in the US and Italy last year. For example, an estimated 4% of the population in North America is gluten-intoler-

Currently producing about 1 million tonnes of pasta annually, Barilla Group is the world leader with 10.5% of the global pasta market.

Sistemi precisi ed affidabili sono il risultato di oltre 50 anni di esperienza.

Le nostre macchine garantiscono la precisione che vi permette di ottenere il massimo dei risultati e della produttività.

Il nostro obiettivo è quello di contribuire al successo della vostra azienda affiancandovi in ogni occasione.

Prendete la mira, puntate su di noi.

Precise and reliable systems are the result of more than 50 years of experience.

Our machines guarantee the precision that allows you to achieve the best results and maximum productivity.

Our objective is to contribute to the success of your company by always working in partnership.

Aim for your goal: you can count on us.

Claudio Colzani, chief executive of Barilla Group.

ant. Although already present in many countries, gluten-free pasta has tended to be sold in specialist stores or at premium prices. “But we made it affordable, top quality and available everywhere for everyone,” says Claudio Colzani. Barilla Group intends to introduce the product into other markets during 2014.

Boycott Late last year, Barilla Group was faced with a boycott of its products, especially in the US, after company chairman Guido Barilla, who is the son of Pietro Barilla, commented during a radio interview in Italy that he would never make a commercial featuring a gay family – Barilla’s advertising has tended to feature images of happy family life in the Italian countryside. “We have a different culture, our family is more of a traditional one. Those who do not agree will not eat out pasta and choose some other brand,” he said.

Diversity and Inclusion Initiative Guido Barilla subsequently apologized for his controversial remarks and the Italian food group moved to defuse the situation by pledging to establish a more active, global leadership position on diversity, inclusion and social responsibility. Part of the

Guido Barilla, chairman of Barilla Group.

initiative has entailed the appointment of a Diversity & Inclusion Board, comprising external experts and advocates who will help Barilla Group establish concrete goals and strategies for improving diversity and equality in the company’s workforce and culture with regard to sexual orientation, gender balance, disability rights and multicultural and intergenerational issues.

Barilla Group has also launched a global online contest designed to engage people on diversity, inclusion and equality.

Entrants are asked to create short videos that represent the multi-faceted nature of pasta, which will be submitted to the web community to be liked, shared and voted on. The videos will be then judged by an expert panel and the winners will receive awards.

The new measures are based on recommendations the company heard during face-to-face meetings with civil and human rights leaders who advocate for inclusion and equality in Italy and the United States.

Different Approach The video competition is expected to inspire new adverts and Barilla Group has already moved away from its conventional style of TV advertising portraying traditional family life, with the mother cooking, to a more contemporary setting, featuring younger couples and men pre paring pasta. “A great brand has to mirror the evolution of society,” points out Claudio Colzani but admits “there is still a lot to do.”

“Diversity, inclusion and equality have long been grounded in Barilla’s culture, values and code of conduct.

They are reflected in our policies and the benefits we provide to all employees, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

religion, or sexual orientation,” says Claudio Colzani. “At the same time, we are committed to promoting diversity further because we firmly believe that it’s the right thing to do.”

Consolidation in Italy Although Barilla Group is focusing on international expansion, it continues to consolidate its position in its domestic market, where pasta consumption has been in decline. However, the recessionary environment has prompted consumers to return to more traditional and affordable meals and pasta consumption has stabilised at about 26kg per capita annually.

Valued at Eur1.5 billion, the Italian market still generates about 45% of Barilla’s business and offers Barilla scope for further growth and is considered worth investing in by Claudio Colzani. “I believe that you need to stay well rooted in the country and in the culture where you come from,” says the Barilla Group chief executive.

The group invested Eur55 million in its Italian business last year. In addition to the new pasta sauce production facility, the company also opened the world’s largest automated warehouse with LGV technology, built at the group’s historic headquarters on the outskirts of Parma, in order to improve efficiency and customer service. J Favini and Barilla Group Favini, thanks to its experience with Crush, the papers made from agro-industrial waste, proved an ideal partner for Barilla, which has been looking for ways to recycle the bran that is no longer useful.

The result is Cartacrusca that contains 17% of bran residues, replacing cellulose.

25

Barilla and Ricciarelli – Long-term Partners Facing New Challenges or over a century, Barilla F has been a synonym for quality in the world.

One thing that unites Barilla and Ricciarelli is the passion for the pasta. In fact, Ricciarelli has been a long established partner of Barilla in facing the challenges posed by a constantly changing market, in the study of new solutions for packaging and on the customization of increasingly integrated and sophisticated logistics solutions.

Thanks to the experience gained over a number of decades and to its continuous technological development, Ricciarelli is able to offer lines and systems that are completely automated, created from specially patented devices, which ensures the best handling of the product and guarantees at the same time that packages are perfectly sealed and free from

26

defects.

Experience, technology, research, but most of all the respect for the safety of the consumer and product quality, have always been Ricciarelli’s strength points. For example, Ricciarelli developed a control system and view of unpackaged product, which removes noncompliant product before packaging.

Ricciarelli’s machines are provided with all useful devices to guarantee tracking and traceability of the product.

This is a major benefit for companies which look at efficiency and want to guarantee and certify the quality of their products to ensure transparency at every phase of production process, as well as those organizations that want to optimize the process of planning, development and production.

Being a supplier of Barilla means Ricciarelli has the capacity for innovation, personalization of system and products, quick response times and the ability to interact with clients in the mutual development of projects.

Being a supplier of Barilla has provided Ricciarelli with a continuous stimulus for FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

research and development.

This trust has been earned over many years of projects carried all over the world.

This is demonstrated by installations carried out in Italy at sites at Caserta and Foggia; in the US at Avon and Ames; and the Turkish facility at Bolu; where new groups of packaging for special bronze shapes of long goods, innovative weighers with a completely automated patented system for antibreakage, and new systems for handling bags at high speed have been installed.

Indeed, Ricciarelli is honoured that the company has been able to make a small contribution to the huge development and success of Barilla all over the world.

The two companies share a long and common development and in their own sectors have made a piece of Italian history. J

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Excellent Performance, Accurate Design and High Reliability Characterise LITA Machinery ast year, LITA celebrated 50 years of activity and this important anniversary L is evidence of the company’s efficiency and ability in satisfying the changing requirements of its customers during this period.

Excellent performance, accurate design and high reliability characterise LITA machinery, providing an excellent guarantee for anyone considering making an important investment. The engineering is entirely developed by CAD in 3D environment and is constantly refined so as to continually improve the product, always paying greatest attention to remaining cost competitive.

LITA machinery is used in many sectors, such as food and beverage, chemical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical. The company produces models for both low and high production speeds. LITA installations can be found worldwide in the premises of internationally renowned companies, although Europe, especially the UK and France, is still the major market where 80% of LITA’s turnover is generated.

For example, world leader in cosmetics

and personal care products, CJSC L’Oreal has increased its production in its new Russian factory. The company has invested in 5 high-speed lines and for this important investment, L’Oreal has again trusted in LITA, which is included in their preferred suppliers list.

In terms of innovation, LITA has always demonstrated its commitment to searching for the optimum solution to meet customers’ specific requirements as evidenced by a palletising system for bags of pasta into pallet-box which was recently installed at Pasta Berruto SpA, near Turin. It has been especially designed to handle 5kg bags of pasta, mainly for the catering sector, with production capacity of 25 bags/minute by means of an articulated robot. In order to put the packages inside the container at the requested rate a special gripper has been designed to handle two overlaid bags per cycle. J

LITA supplied five high-speed Cartesian-axis JOLLY palletizing robots equipped with digital servo drives and brushless motors, capable of performing 12 cycles per minute. The mechanical parts are entirely made with aluminium, which make the system very agile, fast and accurate. The machine guarantees production up to 40 boxes/minute.

GPL Series Palletiser Supplied to Irish Dairy Company rish milk powder producer North Cork CoIautomatic Op Creameries has recently ordered a new palletiser for its production plant at Kanturk, County Cork. Premier Tech Chronos will be supplying a GPL 250 Series Palletiser to palletise bags of milk powder at rates of up to 250 bags per hour.

The GPL Series Palletiser is a ‘Cartesian’ Robot Palletiser with a gantry structure, which is equipped with a gripper head to pre-

cisely position the bags onto the pallet. Each bag is lifted from the pick-up conveyor by the gripper head.

During the palletising process the pallet remains stationary and the gripper head moves by means of a servo controlled motorised mobile frame to the correct position for laying the bag in the right format on the top of the pallet.

The bag gripper has 4 axis mobility (y = longitudinal movement, x = transverse movement, z = vertical movement, w = rotation), taking the bags from the feeding conveyor and depositing them on the pallet according to the pre-selected program. The bag pusher movement is controlled by a pneumatic cylinder and the gripper rotation/pusher direction allows each bag to be deposited close to or even overlapping the previous bag, producing a more stable palletised load.

An in built Operator Interface Panel allows for regular status check of the GPL 250, with the operator being able to review the selected program and in-built bag counter. The palletising layer format can also be selected from FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

a list of programs or it can be directly accessed from the operator panel.

Designed to achieve the benefits of traditional and robotic palletising techniques the GPL Series Palletiser is being supplied with an automatic pallet dispenser and interlocked safety fences/barriers, complete with lightscreens.

“We have worked very closely with Premier Tech Chronos whilst selecting this particular type of palletising system,” comments Roger McCarthy, Operations Manager, at North Cork Co-Op. “We have a long standing trading partnership with Premier Tech Chronos, their existing packing system works well and it seemed sensible to maintain continuity of supply and to build on the positive long-term relationship that we have enjoyed with the company.”

Premier Tech Chronos incorporates Richard Simon Ltd, Verville and BTH for European spares, refurbishments, service, installation and commissioning. For further information contact Premier Tech Chronos on Tel +31 (0)497 514988 or visit www.ptchronos.com. J 27

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A Flexible and Compact Palletising Solution are some important changes going “JanThere on in the field of end-of-line palletising.” de Bruijn, Managing Director at CSi’s Headquarters in Raamsdonksveer, knows that nowadays there’s a strong demand for cheaper palletising solutions, which are compact and flexible. “The market has matured,“ says de Bruijn. It is clear what he means by this - no longer are only complex systems supplied to the market, but over recent years these have mostly been delivered to the large multinational companies.

Meanwhile CSi also focuses on the smaller and mid-size companies. In this market completely different requirements have to be met: high engineering costs cannot be passed on, so smart solutions at affordable prices are at the forefront.

The i-Pal Concept Therefore CSi developed the i-Pal concept with a total carefree package around it, comprising of nothing more but a complete and compact palletising cell for use at the end of a production or packaging line, though extended with important service components.

The i-Pal unit consists of a spherical robot, a pick point and a pallet conveyor all mounted on a skid. “Only high quality components are being used,” de Bruijn emphasises. No compromises are made when it comes to quality.

System availability is a core feature in CSi’s designs. The i-Pal is based on standardised robot technology and high quality components with proven performance.

This makes the palletiser extremely reliable in a production environment, requiring low maintenance thus resulting in low maintenance costs. With the remote diagnostic options CSi can instantly analyse any error by telephone. The end-of-line palletising concept enables the gradual automation of 30

Jan de Bruijn, Managing Director at Csi.

several production or packaging lines. Each line can be automated separately and at the right moment.

Robot palletising also enables the fulfilment of specific requirements, eg always show a predetermined side of the product on the outside of the pallet, or the label orientation may be specified.

The mechatronic design with multifunctional components and the professional software enables a lot of other functions and options. Maximum functionality can thus be achieved at low cost. The universal gripper and the software enable a lot of different stacking patterns so product changes can be executed fast and easily.

I-Pal‘s small footprint makes it easy to fit the palletiser into every possible environment. The i-Pal can be used with forklift trucks as well as with AGVs or a pallet transfer car.

Financial Options In order to meet the needs of fast growing and smaller companies, CSi even offers its customers several financing options. “Of course our customers can buy the i-Pal, but it can also be rented for a shorter or longer period of time,“ the Managing Director points out. “Or the customer only uses the palletiser as long as he needs it.” This is an Important advantage as CSi customers can profit from the technology without having to invest.

The skid construction enables a quick and easy installation. Operation starts at the day of installation. As CSi’s financing costs are below the costs for manual palFOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

letising the customer saves money from Day One. “One of CSi’s customers was looking for a way to lower the production costs internationally, in more production plants. The i-Pal robot cell was chosen because of its reliability and the lease options. The monthly fees offer the customer a clear savings potential compared to the previous costs for personnel,” he explains.

I-Pal can handle up to 20 products per minute. “Try to achieve this with manual palletising in a 24 hour production company, seven days a week,” highlights de Bruijn. Being a standard product i-Pal can easily be demounted and re-installed at another place within the same company or even at another CSi customer. When the production planning changes, only small costs will arise from changing the materials handling system.

Due to the standardisation CSi can also offer several options for hiring and leasing, only for the period of time the customer requires the machine, “The lease contract offers a lot of flexibility to our customers“, says de Bruijn. “After the leasing period the customer can either return the palletiser, hire it for a longer period or purchase it.” J

The i-Pal.

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Robot Uptake Increases by 60% in Food and Drink Sectors K robot sales figures for 2013 from the British Automation and U Robot Association (BARA) reveal a 60% increase in robot uptake within the food sector, compared to 2000 results.

With an install base of 2,685,000 products worldwide, FANUC Robotics’ Managing Director Chris Sumner comments: “Our hope is that robots will improve the competitive edge of firms operating within the UK food industry. While speed, accuracy and agility are all key benefits, recent demands from producers relate to food safety and the use of robots to improve hygiene levels during the manufacturing process.”

In direct response, FANUC has recently launched two IP69K certified assembly and handling robots for use in high pressure wash-down environments. Where high speed is the critical factor, the new M-2iA delta style pick and place robot, with four axis capability, can pick wrapped or unwrapped goods from one con-

32

veyor and place them into product trays or cartons at up to 220 cycles per minute.

Where dexterity is the The latest pick and place robots from FANUC main requirement, – ideal for the toughest production FANUC’s new six environments. axis LR Mate 200iD /7C articulated arm can tilt, twist and rotate single or multiple products with ease. Capable of 180 cycles per minute, this compact system can be mounted on the floor, upside down, on a wall or at an angle.

For more information on FANUC’s food-grade robots please contact T: +44(0) 24 7663 9669 E: uksales@fanuc.eu or visit www.fanuc.co.uk J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

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Goliath Packaging Systems Offers Comprehensive Range of Products & Services oliath Packaging Systems Ltd supplies, G installs & after-sales services a comprehensive range of end-of-line packaging, materials handling and washing equipment to the Irish food sector, via its trading Division, Goliath Food.

The Goliath End of Line product range consists of the following distinct items; • Shrink Wrapping, Flow Wrapping & Tray Sealing • Vacuum Packing & Dip Tanks • Case Erecting, Case Packing & Bag-inBox Systems • Liquid Filling Systems • Case Sealing (Tape & Glue) • Case & Load Conveying • Pallet Inverting (Fixed, Mobile & Automatic In-line) • Pallet Exchange & Freezer Spacer Removal • Lifting (Scissors & Vacuum) • Materials Handling Systems • Pallet Elevating Systems • Palletising (Gantry, Articulated Arm & Layer) • Stretch Wrapping • Strapping Systems (Case & Pallet) • AGV Transport • Washing Systems (Pallet, Box, Dolav, Eurobin, Crate, Tray, Drum, Glove,

Apron, Bottle & IBC etc).

In addition, the following complementary (ancillary) items are provided by Goliath in order to offer a fully integrated turn-key service; • Weighing Systems • Labelling & Coding Equipment • X-Ray / Metal Detection • Packaging Materials (Film, Top Sheets, Pallet Hoods, Strapping, Tape, Plastic & SS Pallets etc).

Goliath also offers a Project Management / Packaging Consultancy Service to assist in the early determination of your particular food packaging equipment requirements.

Goliath serves the following segments of the Irish food sector; • Fruit & Vegetable • Food Processing • Bakery & Confectionery • Dairy • Meat

• Frozen Foods • Fish • Beverage.

Via partnerships with internationally known suppliers such as Soco System, Linkx Packaging Systems & Adpak, Goliath has positioned itself as a major provider of End of Line Packaging Machinery, Materials Handling Systems & Industrial Washing Equipment to the Irish food sector.

Centrally located in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, Goliath is less than 2 hours from all of major markets, while trained engineers maintain spare parts and service all equipment installed with annual service contracts (reactive / preventative) available as preferred.

To discuss your food packaging equipment needs, please contact Goliath as follows; Name: Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd Contact: George O’Leary Position: Director Address: 92 Silver St., Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, Ireland Tel: 067-37893 Fax: 067-34794 Mobile: 087-1222816 E-mail: info@goliath.ie /service@goliath.ie Web: www.goliath.ie. J

Packserve – Conveying Re-modelling & Installation wo of the UK’s best known cereal manT ufacturers have awarded Packserve with remodelling and design, build and install contracts.

The modification of the existing conveying system was required to integrate a Dynac accumulator (also supplied by Packserve).

“It was a breath of fresh air, to have contractors working safely and tidily within our production area with good well maintained tools and equipment,” says the client project manager.

“Packserve have extensive experience carrying out conveyor remodelling projects, so we should have it right by now,” says their project engineer, John Able. “We can supply full turn-key solutions for equipment updates, new packages requirements, or labour re-assignments.”

A new oven was installed, that necessitated the need for a new incline food cooling conveyor.

The bespoke conveyor required a complete design and build with more added benefits offered by Packserve. Resulting in a much higher specification unit that exceeded the industry food hygiene standards.

The fully project managed installation took place under CDM regulations.

Packserve ensures its clients receive flexibility, minimal disruption and quality workmanship.

As a packaging engineering solutions provider, Packserve has been supporting companies with their end of line requirements, conveyor modification and redesign for over twenty five years. “Our experienced packaging engineers have a proven track record for delivering projects on time, FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

within budget and to accredited safety standards,” says operations director, Barry Grime. J

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I END OF LINE

Save Money With LOCK N’ POP – Increase Pallet Stability and Reduce Plastic Pallet Wrap t’s always a good idea to look at costs and Idepressed ways of reducing them and with demand in current economic times it’s more of an imperative. Most of the time of course the focus is on making processes more efficient but the big savings are generally only possible when processes are done differently.

In the supply chain necessary costs are incurred simply to store and move products.

The value is in getting them to the customer but otherwise the costs of packaging and transportation add little to their intrinsic value. And so it is with tertiary packaging: the pallets and associated plastic stretch wrap which are used to stabilise the load.

LOCK N’ POP pallet stabilisation provides an alternative which is cost effective and can eliminate the use of stretch wrap and the layer pads and corner posts which need to be used to add extra stability.

Plastic wrap has a cost and typically a manufacturer could be spending around

34

75p/pallet. And, at the customer end of course there’s the cost of disposing of what is now plastic waste. If layer pads are needed the cost can easily exceed £1.00/pallet. In addition, if corner posts are also needed this cost can exceed £1.50/pallet, simply to ensure goods are delivered securely.

With a typical cost of between 7p and 10p/pallet for LOCK N’ POP, the cost saving potential is very clear. By simply reducing wrap by 50% and applying LOCK N’ POP a net saving of 27.5p/pallet is achieved.

In a production facility producing 100,000 pallets a year this equates to an annual saving of £27,500. In todays economic climate this level of operating cost reduction is too valuable to ignore.

UK companies, large and small, are experiencing these level of savings by using less stretch wrap with two recent customer installations being on target to achieve a reduction of 17 tonnes and 21 tonnes in annual stretch wrap consumption.

So how does it work? LOCK N’ POP pallet stabilisation uses a cold, water based, adhesive that is applied inline to the cases, bags, shrink wrap trays etc. immediately prior to palletisation. The unique adhesive has high shear strength characteristics which LOCKS the products together resulting in a stable pallet. However, the magic is that the adhesive combines this high shear strength with a low tensile strength which means that the items can easily be separated.

So, stable in transit but easy to separate at distribution centres and end users.

Known as the Invisible adhesive, this ability to leave the product unmarked is becoming imperative as more and more customers need to be able to place products straight from pallet to shelf in retail ready packaging.

As the demand increases for increased levels of printed artwork on outer case packaging the ability to palletise and transport securely without damaging the presentation of the product is becoming a bigger requirement of food and beverage manufacturers.

Blue chip companies throughout the Food and Beverage sector have been using LOCK N’ POP for over 20 years to stabilise their pallets. In some cases there has been no alternative to applying very high wrap tensions to ensure pallet stability. This results FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

in deformed cases and customer complaints.

With the addition of LOCK N’ POP to stabilise the goods, wrap tension can be reduced and the associated damage eliminated. Cost savings have also been achieved by allowing the use of lower micron wrap which proves sufficient when the stability is provided by the LOCK N’ POP adhesive.

This well known technology is helping more and more producers to save money by allowing them to reduce their use and spend on plastic packaging and by ensuring that their products get to their customers without transit damage.

LOCK N’ POP pallet stabilisation is a different approach. For more information contact duncan.potter@gransden.org or on 01223 257899. J

I LABELS & LABEL APPLICATORS

Labelling For Vegan Products Made Easy ince the success of Jonathan Safran S Foer’s ‘Eating Animals’ consumers question critically what they eat. And the number of vegetarians and vegans increases daily.

Still though, vegan groceries are normally produced in smaller quantities. Considering that the minimum order requirement for

offset-printed labels is significantly higher than those production quantities, vegan products are often labelled incompletely or unprofessionally.

But the readability of information is a key factor to the consumer’s purchasing decision, it would be beneficial for food producers and importers to have a printing solution that allows professional printing of individual full-colour labels and therefore enables you to respond quickly to customer needs.

With the desktop colour label printer LX900e by Primera Technology vegan products can be labelled professionally and effortlessly. It’s easy then to design your individual labels and add for example the Vegan Flower – the trademark of the Vegan Society – identifying your products as vegan and therefore immensely simplifying the daily life of vegan-living people.

Labels printed with the LX900e are razorsharp, brilliant and photo-realistic. The printer comes with separate ink cartridges for cyan, magenta, yellow and black, keeping operating costs low since only one colour at a time needs to be replaced. In addition, the Vegan Flower can be accentuated by

imprinting the Vegan Flower with green foil using Primera’s FX400e Foil Printer, emphasizing the high quality and value of each product. Foils in red, blue, yellow, black as well as a clear film are available, too.

In order to introduce food producers and importers to the range of possible applications of a fast and easy label production Primera will be exhibiting at Natural & Organic Products Europe. The company will be presenting its label equipment such as the LX900e inkjet printer at booth 3031. For further information visit www.primeralabel.eu. J

Fix-a-Form® Multi-page Labels From Denny Bros enny Bros Ltd is a leading independent specialist print compaD ny and the originators of Fix-a-Form® multi-page labels. Fixa-Form® multi-page labels allow for the communication of large

further information, www.dennybros.com. J

call

01284

701381

or

visit

amounts of text on-pack and are often used by brand-owners to supply additional information or to run short lived promotions.

These custom-built marketing devices can boost sales uplifts and provide a competitive edge, helping your products to stand out onshelf. They work in synergy with the host-pack eliminating the need for major artwork changes to the original packaging which can be costly and time consuming. Alternatively, you may need a solution for compliancy or want to reduce or eliminate your product packaging completely.

Fix-a-Form multi-page labels are used extensively in the food and drink industry as the supermarket environment is increasingly competitive and on-shelf presence is key. With the rising costs of getting POS material into food outlets, it has become much more critical to build a culture around the brand on-shelf with on-pack ideas being the easiest way to make impulse decisions happen. For FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

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I BISCUITS

Mondelez International Invests Further in European Biscuit Production Base Mondelez International is to invest over $100 million in a state-of-the-art biscuit manufacturing plant at its Opava site in the Czech Republic to further expand its biscuits manufacturing capacity in Europe. he investment will create 200 new roles making Oreo cookies and belVita breakfast biscuits. Since 2009, net revenues for Oreo and belVita have grown 25% and 18% respectively in Europe. This plant will create new capacity to keep pace with anticipated future demand.

Oreo and belVita are two of Mondelez International’s billion-dollar brands – the others include Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate, Jacobs coffee, LU and Nabisco biscuits, Tang powdered beverages and Trident gum.

In addition to biscuits, Mondelez International is also a world leader in chocolate, gum, candy, coffee and powdered beverages. Incorporating the former Cadbury business, acquired by Kraft Foods for $19.5 billion in 2010, Mondelez International is a well balanced business between emerging and mature markets with bright long-term prospects. Armed with a strong portfolio of ‘power brands’, it has an annual turnover of $35 billion.

T

Phenomenal Growth Phil Hodges, senior vice president, Integrated Supply Chain, Mondelez Europe, says: “We’ve seen phenomenal growth in our biscuit business in recent years, especially our Oreo and belVita ‘power brands’. This new facility will help us keep up with future demand by creating additional capacity. We've used all of our supply chain and R&D expertise to create a

state-of-the-art factory with lines capable of making over a million Oreo biscuits a day.

After it is completed, this plant will be a model in our global supply chain network.”

The project is in line with Mondelez International's commitment to invest in advantaged assets to drive sustainable and profitable growth. It builds on $240 million investment across the group’s European biscuits network since 2010, including sites in France, the UK and Central Europe. For example, in the UK, Mondelez International recently commenced production of its Oreo biscuits brand after investing $9.5 million at its plant at Sheffield in the north of England.

Improving Productivity The global snacking and beverages group is implementing a number of initiatives around the world to capitalise on the growing demand in emerging markets while also aggressively reducing costs and improving productivity. By re-engineering its manufacturing base and redesigning its supply chain, Mondelez International aims to deliver $1 billion in annual productivity savings over the next three years.

For instance, it is installing newly designed Oreo biscuit manufacturing lines that require 30% less capital and reduce operating costs by $10 million per line.

These ‘lines of the future’ can be installed in one-third of the time and provide double the capacity in half the space as older designs. The company is now implementing similar transformations for other biscuits ‘power brands’ and the chocolate and gum categories.

Financial Performance Mondelez International recently reported its first year of financial results since being created following its separation from Kraft Foods’ North American grocery business in October 2012.

The US-based group increased net revenue by 0.8% to $35.3 billion and operating income by 9.2% to $4.0 billion in FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and chief executive of Mondelez International.

2013, as it faced a significant slowdown across its product categories during the year. Organic net revenue increased by 3.9% and the operating income margin was 11.2%.

Revenues from emerging markets were up 8.8%, led by a nearly 10% gain in the BRIC markets. Developed markets increased 0.8% as growth in North America and Europe was partially offset by a mid-single digit decline in Asia Pacific.

Mondelez International’s ‘power brands’ grew 6.5% with Oreo, Tuc, Club Social, belVita and Barni biscuits, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Lacta chocolate and Tassimo coffee each posting double-digit increases.

“We're disappointed that our results were below what we and our shareholders originally expected,” says Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and chief executive of Mondelez International. “We're committed to improving results in 2014 and beyond.

Specifically, we expect to grow organic revenue at or above our category growth rate, which we estimate at approximately 4% in 2014. In addition, we remain focused on increasing efficiency and aggressively reducing costs in both our supply chain and overheads to deliver strong margin gains throughout the year. Although we anticipate near-term economic conditions will remain challenging, the plans we are executing give us great confidence in our potential to significantly expand margins and deliver strong top-line growth in 2014 and the years ahead.” J 39

Industry-leading Packaging Versatility elteko is an exclusive manufacturer of V high tech packaging machines and is committed to consistently improving and perfecting the vertical packaging process.

Their continued success around the world for producing machines with unmatched versatility, top levels of uptime and extended service intervals lead to a greatly reduced cost of ownership. As a testament to their quality and reliability, almost 20 year old Velteko machines located at well-known factories around the world are still on the job, continuously packaging products day after day.

Velteko engineers pride themselves in “thinking vertically” and designing custom packaging solutions for each and every project. Their proactive engineering approach assures that each individual customer around the world will be provided with a versatile, high performance, and reliable packaging solution customized for their needs.

12 Different Stand Up Pouch Variations With a Maximum 45 Minute Changeover Time Velteko presented its first vertical stand up pouch machine at Interpack in 2005. Since that time, their design and operation have been constantly improved. Velteko VFFS machines are now able to quickly and efficiently create 12 variations of stand up pouches with extremely short changeover times from one bag type to another. A maximum of only 45 minutes is needed when

Best-in-class “ULTRAZIP” zipper ends.

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changing from a quad bag ("F" type bag) to a stand up pouch with zipper ("J" + ZIP)!

Velteko machines maximize your package output and minimize machine downtime.

The Safe Packaging Machine Choice - Now and in the Future The HSV and US series of Velteko vertical packaging machines are the most versatile in the industry. This versatility is amply demonstrated by the US100, which is able handle up to 91 different bag types (including the stand up bag) and closing systems.

No matter what your needs are today or tomorrow, Velteko packaging machines will adapt to the market and your packaging requirements. Security and peace of mind come standard with every Velteko machine purchase.

VFFS Machine Series The VFFS machine series offers: * Up to 55 different types of bags * Bag widths of up to 440 mm * Speeds up to 360 bags/min * 12 variations of doy-style stand-up pouch * 12 different types of applicators * 4 types of resealable systems * Quick and trouble-free changeover between different bag types * Utilizes a wide spectrum of film brands * Ease of operation with 12” touch display for intuitive control of operating parameters * VELTEKO software translated into your local language * IP camera and headset for live audio/visual communication with VELTEKO service specialists * Interactive spare parts catalogue for your specific machine * 12 month / unlimited hours warranty.

US 100 "Create and Close" Packaging Machine Series * Specializing in fragile product packaging with a tender touch - Low drop height of 14 in. / 360 mm for special care of your fragile items - Conveyer and weighing system are optimized for your easily breakable products - "Soft touch" chute surface and product stopper of the doser * Up to 91 types of bags including the doy-style stand-up pouch * Every type of top seal folding * 5 types of re-closing systems including TinTie * A wide range of applicators (date, graphFOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

HSV 360 Series.

ics, valve, hole) * Create your own product mixes * Ease of operation with 12” touch display for intuitive control of operating parameters * VELTEKO software translated into your local language * IP camera and headset for live audio/visual communication with VELTEKO service specialists * Interactive spare parts catalogue for your specific machine * 12 month / unlimited hours warranty.

Further information about Velteko and its products can be found at www. velteko.com. J

US100 "Create and Close" Packaging Machine.

QUALITY

& HYGIENE

I FLOORS, WALLS & CEILINGS

Flowcrete Offers New Total Flooring System lowcrete has developed a new total ‘floor to wall’ system, F which combines state-of-the-art products and best in class service. The concept delivers an easy to clean, seamless finish ideal for the food and drink sector - where hygiene and performance go hand in hand.

With only one warranty and a single point of contact, specifiers are able to select an individual total floor build-up to suit their precise needs.

Works can begin with the repair, restoration or re-laying of a concrete floor slab, followed by supply and installation of a damp proof membrane and polymer modified screed.

Flowcrete, which has more than 30 years of experience in providing hygienic flooring for the food manufacturing industry, can then undertake the installation of a stainless steel drainage system and durable resin floor finish, including the choice of Flowfresh, a unique product for the industry with its inclusion of the silver-based Polygiene agent within the resin matrix, for the ultimate in hygiene performance.

To provide a complete floor to wall system, Flowcrete also offers a durable, antimicrobial wall finish, forming a complete sealed surface that is easy to clean and maintain and meets even the most stringent demands for a total solution to prevent bacteria build-up.

In addition, Flow crete’s Isocrete Proj ect Management team can take over the complete running of a flooring project, managing the whole programme from initial consultation through design, slab preparation and installation, to aftercare.

“This is a state-of-the-art system for the food and drink sector, backed by best in class service,” says Alan Dean, Managing Director of Flowcrete UK. “We have been providing hygienic flooring specifically for the food and drink manufacturing sector for more than 30 years. The experience we have gained over this time, along with many years of operating manufacturing facilities across the world, means that the service we offer, from product development to project management, is second to none.” J FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

41

I TREE NUTS

Going Nuts For Almonds Growing use in applications such as confectionery, bakery, snacks and breakfast cereals is driving global demand for almonds, particularly in emerging consumer markets like China and India. alifornia produces 82% of the world’s C almonds, with annual production currently exceeding 1.8 billion pounds, grown on about 800,000 acres across a 400 mile stretch of land running from Tehama County in the north to Kern County in the south. There are more than 30 different varieties of almonds but ten varieties comprise the majority of almonds produced in California.

About 70% of the US state’s almonds output is exported. Indeed, almonds are California’s most valuable agricultural export - worth $2.5 billion in 2012 and well ahead of wine in second place. As global demand continues to rise, farmers are switching from cultivating crops such as cotton in favour of almonds, which are yielding a higher return with almond prices doubling in the past five years. Californian almond production has more than tripled since the late 1990s.

Growing Popularity Their versatile taste, texture and high nutritional value have made almonds a firm favourite with consumers and food processors the world over. Almonds are an ideal ingredient in cooking and food processing due to their subtle flavour and multidimensional texture characteristics.

Research by Sterling Rice Group indicates that over 80% of consumers perceive a product or dish with almonds to be ‘better tasting’ and ‘more interesting’.

Moreover, consumers worldwide rate almonds as the nut that best delivers crunch and 63% of them say almonds are fun to eat.

Almonds are available in an extensive array of formats which are ideal for facilitating imaginative food product formulation. For example, Californian almonds are available in 15 different forms, including whole natural, halved, ground, flaked, blanched, almond flour, almond oil, almond butter, almond paste and almond milk.

An attitudes, awareness and usage survey conducted by Sterling-Rice Group reveals that Californian almonds are reported as the favorite nut among food professionals because of their taste (70%), versatility (45%), and texture (43%).

Over half of consumers worldwide say they like almonds ‘extremely well’ and 90% report a preference for products with almonds versus those without, while 47% of global consumers report a willingness to pay more for an almond product (Global Perceptions Report, Sterling-Rice Group, 2013).

New Product Development The growing demand for almonds shows no sign of abating with the tree nut continuing to feature strongly in new products across key sectors of the food industry. Top FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

food manufacturing professionals have rated almonds as the most ‘essential/irreplaceable’ nut when thinking about new products (Volume Driver Awareness, Attitudes & Usage Study, Sterling-Rice Group, 2011).

A recent survey (Innova Global New Products Report, Sterling-Rice Group, 2013) found that almonds were the number one nut in new product introductions for the seventh year in a row and are widening the gap year on year between other nuts. The same study also reveals that almonds are the only nut to rank in the top two for nut introductions globally (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa).

Nuts and particularly almonds are an important ingredient within the food manufacturing industry, especially in the chocolate confectionery, snacking, breakfast cereals and bakery sectors.

Chocolate Confectionery The almond share of total chocolate consumption increased from 13% in 2010 to 29% in 2012, according to Sterling-Rice Group’s Global Chocolate Report 2013.

Almonds were the number one ingredient selected globally for inclusion in consumers’ ideal chocolate product.

The Sterling-Rice Group study also reveals that consumers worldwide believe 43

almonds make chocolate more exciting, uplifting, rewarding, comforting and relaxing. Indeed, 65% of consumers globally prefer chocolate products with nuts, and even more importantly, they believe almonds are the nut that best fits with both milk and dark chocolate.

Almonds not only impress consumers in terms of taste and texture (crunch) but also score highly as a source of nutrition. More than two-thirds of consumers consider nutrition to be an important factor when selecting chocolate products, but an even higher percentage (75%) believes chocolate with almonds is nutritious, and many consumers believe that almonds are the nut that best delivers nutrition in chocolate creations.

Chocolate combined with nuts is a well established confectionery recipe but almonds are by far the most popular choice with more than half of chocolate and nut consumption occasions worldwide featuring almonds.

Reflecting this popularity with consumers, it is little surprise that almonds feature strongly in new product development within the chocolate confectionery sector.

Between 2007 and 2011, confectionary product introductions including almonds rose by an astounding 113% and 33% of the global almond introductions in 2012 occurred in the confectionery category.

Almonds have universal consumer appeal. Research shows that incorporating almonds in either dark or milk chocolate is a popular combination for consumers globally. Indeed, 29% of all chocolate consumption occasions around the world include almonds.

Snacks and Cereals Almonds play a similarly key role within the snacks and breakfast cereals sectors.

Global snack product introductions with almonds increased by 79% from 2008 to 2011. Many consumers rate almonds to be a nutritious and healthy product. Indeed, scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol 44

may reduce the risk of heart disease. A oneounce handful of almonds (28g) has 13g of unsaturated fat and only 1g of saturated fat.

As the definitive breakfast nut, almonds were the number one nut in global cereal introductions in 2012.

Bakery Almonds have been a key ingredient within the bakery sector for centuries featuring prominently in classic recipes such as French macaroons, Jaconde Sponge cake, strudel, Bienenstich Cake and Norwegian Wedding Ring Cake. Due to their versatility, taste and texture properties this popularity amongst bakers and consumers continues today.

Almonds remain the top nut for global new product introductions in the bakery category. Almond bakery introductions grew 13% with Europe and North America as the leading global regions, according to the Innova Global New Products Report, 2013.

Health Benefits As scientific evidence grows of the healthy and nutritious aspects of nuts, including almonds, their inclusion in food products is expected to increase further. A recent US study suggests that eating nuts, such as almonds, daily may provide health benefits and be part of a dietary and lifestyle pattern that supports long-term health.

The epidemiological study, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine in the US, discovered that eating nuts, including almonds, was associated with a 20% reduction in total mortality, independent of other predictors for death.

Examining the relationship between consumption of nuts and mortality, the study found that eating more servings of nuts each week was associated with lower causes of death due to cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.

The study also suggests that participants who consumed more nuts were also leaner, and tended to have a healthy lifestyle, such as smoking less and exercising more.

Tree nuts are highly nutritious incorporating protein, fibre, important vitamins and minerals. However, gram for gram, almonds are higher in protein, fibre, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin and niacin than any other tree nut.

The Almond Board of California has proved highly adept at highlighting the advantages of using almonds as a healthy and nutritious food and food ingredient in markets globally.

Outlook With almond growing acreage in California FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

having doubled in the past twenty years and with the market fundamentals remaining bright, the only barrier to further increases in production in the US state is the availability of suitable land and irrigation. The recent drought in California has posed problems for almond growers due to the shortage of water. However, improved agricultural methods mean that growers in California are now harvesting more almonds and using less water per acre that in the past.

Exports of Californian almonds continue to rise with shipments up 4% to nearly 644 million pounds for the August 2013 to December 2013 period. China remains the largest export market, down 25% from the previous year at just over 117 million pounds, while Spain is in second place, up 37% at over 76 million pounds.

Western Europe accounted for about 36% of Californian almond exports with volume up 25% during the last six months to 233 million pounds. Behind Spain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are the largest European markets.

The Asia/Pacific region was the destination for 39% of exports of Californian almonds during the same period with Central and Eastern Europe consuming 4% and the Middle East 14%. J

I SNACKS & CEREALS

Almonds – Feel-Good Snacking lobal consumers are searching G the shelves for surprising new snack foods that satisfy their cravings for flavour and sustain energy.

But now more than ever, snacking has become a fun and highly rewarding category. Today’s snack foods have to do more – they need to have more healthy attributes, more unique inclusions, more interesting textures that break free from the ordinary.

As snacks evolve to deliver more of everything, there are also more of them being introduced.

There has been a substantial global increase in the number of almond snacks in the past year, highlighting exotic flavour and texture combinations. Herein lies the opportunity for multi-talented ingredients that give the people what they really want: great taste, natural energy and feel-good versatile nutrition.

Snacks that contain almonds are just a natural fit. Plus, as health becomes a bigger factor in consumers’ purchase decisions, almonds are swooping in with a wholesome crunch that works in all types of tastes.

Brands are teaming up to create novel snacking products, enabling unusual mixes of textures and flavours. Recent product introduction research has found an increase in new snacking items with wordings such as crispy, crunch, chewy, chunky, clusters, bites and texture. Recent examples of new product flavourings vary extensively across sweet, salty and spicy and even ‘almond crunch’ is being used as a flavour name in its own right (2012 Global New Product Introductions Report, Innova Market Insights, June 2013).

This versatility has contributed to sales growth for almonds as a snack in 2012/13.

Almond snacks have shown substantial gains in both volume and value in key European countries: the UK (+45% in volume, +38% in value), France (+17% in volume, +21% in value), and Germany (+7% in volume, +41% in value), significantly outpacing the category (+5% in both volume and value) and every other nut variety in the EU3 total market (Almond Board of California EU3 Snack Nut Performance Analysis, IRI data July 2012-August 2013).

Versatility What makes almonds particularly snack-

worthy is their subtle, buttery taste. It’s a unique flavor that has the power to enhance any product without overpowering it. Their unmatched versatility makes them the perfect choice for every snack, be it sweet, savory, salty or otherwise. Even ethnic tastes and popular new snack concepts – think bacon, chili and green tea— are made better with almonds.

Based on consumer demand and increases in new product introductions, a continual rise in healthy almond snack products can be expected. The wide range of almond forms and flavour possibilities is why European consumers rate almonds as being the most versatile compared to other nuts (EU Consumer Attitudes, Awareness, and Usage Report, Sterling-Rice Group, 2012).

And of course there’s that undeniable crunch. Only almonds have the kind of hearty, no-nonsense crunch that can take any snack above and beyond. Clearly, when it comes to versatility in snacks, these nuts don’t back down. And no matter how they’re used, almonds never fail to create instant excitement and multidimensional appeal from the very first bite.

every nutrient that almonds are at least a source of, there exists the possibility of making a myriad of health claims associated with that specific nutrient.

Almonds are a natural source of protein and fibre and contain 15 essential nutrients, including 65% of the daily requirement of vitamin E. Compared to other tree nuts, gram for gram, almonds are the nut highest in protein, vitamin E, calcium, fibre, riboflavin and niacin.

Consumers know this - 65% of European consumers believe almonds are nutritious and more than half agree that almonds are a smart choice for a healthy diet (EU Consumer Attitudes, Awareness, and Usage Report, Sterling-Rice Group, 2012).

A recent study also suggests that adding almonds to the diet as a mid-morning snack may increase satiety, without increasing overall energy intake (Tan YT, Mattes RD. Appetitive, dietary and health effects of almonds consumed with meals or as snacks: a randomised, controlled trial. (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition , October 2, 2013, doi:10.1038/ejcn.2013.184).

Today’s tastes and trends explain it all.

Consumers are snacking more often; they’re choosing their snacks more carefully and manufacturers are following suit with contemporary offerings that meet the demand. From their distinctive flavour and crunch to their notable nutrition and category-leading versatility, almonds can help manufacturers take advantage of this category to increase snacking sales. J

Nutritional Benefits Whether almonds pop up in snack bars or trail mixes, one important trait never changes - their remarkable nutrition. For FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

45

I SNACKS & CEREALS

Breakfast Boost For EHL Ingredients HL Ingredients, a leading importer, blender and packer of natural food E ingredients, has reported a surge in demand for a host of ingredients typically found in breakfast products. Demand for EHL’s British sourced oats has risen by 10%, whilst spices such as cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg have experienced the largest increase at 20%.

EHL’s dried fruits, which can be used in a variety of breakfast products from pastries, breads and cereals, to breakfast bars and porridge toppers, are proving popular, with Californian raisins, currants and Turkish sultanas seeing an increase of 10%.

This growing demand for breakfast

ingredients can be attributed to a number of factors, with the impact of the recession and therefore people’s workloads, leading to a culture of grabbing food on the move.

In 2012, the demand for quick and easy breakfasts saw the number of ‘out of home (OOH) breakfast occasions’ grow exponentially, with an increase of 8.4%, to 1.14 billion. Coffee chains and fast food outlets saw the bulk of this morning traffic, with a boom of 10.5% for their breakfast sales alone.

In 2013, a bumper crop of oats in the UK saw prices come down. Consumption of oats in the UK has steadily increased in recent years thanks to its versatility as a base for porridge convenience products, and for baking into granola bars, flapjacks, cereal mixes, pancakes and muffins, among other items.

The benefits of eating oats – a wholegrain – are also well documented, with consumption linked to reduced risk of heart disease, high fibre content which aids digestion, and a low glycemic index (GI) that can aid weight management.

EHL’s oats are sourced in Britain, and are available in both organic and nonorganic forms, in both rolled and jumbo

varieties.

Tasneem Backhouse, sales and marketing director at EHL Ingredients, says: “While the market for breakfast foods remains strong, the way in which people now consume breakfast products has shifted significantly in recent years. With on the move breakfast products experiencing a boom, and with a burgeoning market for breakfast within the foodservice sector, we expect to see even further demand for ‘breakfast’ ingredients in the coming months, as food manufacturers, retailers and fast food outlets look to stand out from the crowd by offering the very latest in product innovation.”

To find out more about EHL Ingredients visit www.ehl-ingredients.co .uk. J

British Consumers Bowled Over by Porridge esearch from Mintel reveals that one in R two British consumers (49%) are porridge eaters, with a quarter (23%) of users enjoying a bowl almost daily. While usage peaks amongst those aged between 45 and 54, with some 56% of this group enjoying porridge, an impressive four in ten (39%) of 16-24 year olds also enjoy their oats.

Sales of porridge are thriving as Brits trade up to an increasing array of premium and on-the-go porridge products. The hot cereals segment has proved to be the star performer within the UK breakfast cereals market, between 2008 and 2013, sales of hot cereals – largely made up of porridge – almost doubled reaching £241 million in 2013. As well as value increases, the market for hot cereals has also seen volume

expansion, sales increasing by 20% over the same five year period rising from 65 million kg in 2008 to 81 million kg in 2013.

Overall, nine in ten (92%) consumers have eaten breakfast cereals, including porridge, in the past six months.

Heidi Lanschuetzer, food and drinks analyst at Mintel, says: “With an increased FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

selection of higher priced porridge options now available, Brits have not just been consuming more porridge, but trading up to more varieties of flavours and packaging options when they do consume it. While porridge has found a way to tap into the out of home breakfast occasion, the segment has also benefited from oats’ inherent health benefits, notably the fact that they can lower cholesterol, as well as their widely held associations with satiety – a factor which is of particular importance when it comes to buying breakfast cereals.

Given that the usage of porridge stands at half of all Brits, the hot cereals segment still offers strong potential for future growth in areas such as vitamin or mineral fortification or flavour innovation.” J 47

I SUSTAINABLE COCOA

The Cargill Cocoa Promise – Building a Sustainable Future For Cocoa

By Taco Terheijden, Manager Sustainable Cocoa from Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate ustainability for us isn’t a secondary S issue but a guiding principle. It is central to how we do business, essential to our global cocoa bean sourcing strategy, and not least vital in improving the life of the farmer.

The Cargill Cocoa Promise is our global commitment to the development of a sustainable supply chain and to making a difference. It focuses on three areas where we can make the biggest difference: farmer training; community support and farm development. This is achieved through partnership initiatives in the work we undertake with farmers, with farmer cooperatives (coops), customers, NGOs, governments and other local partners directly in the cocoa growing countries.

The Cargill Cocoa Promise has already been introduced in six cocoa growing countries; Côte d’Ivoire, Vietnam, Cameroon, Indonesia, Ghana and Brazil, but as approximately 70% of the world’s cocoa crop is grown in West Africa, with Côte d’Ivoire being the world’s largest producer of cocoa beans, it is here that our activities are most developed.

The Cargill Cocoa Promise consists of three pillars: • Farmer Training – this includes running

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programmes to increase productivity and yield, extending capacity in farmer organisations and raising standards through certification • Community Support – working together to protect and promote the rights of children, providing education, increasing access for health, safety and wellbeing services for families • Farm development – regenerating farmland through access to innovative technology, enhancing biodiversity and conservation, enabling improved infrastructure and financing Through our 1,200 Farmer Field Schools, Cargill currently reaches 60,000 farmers directly providing them with knowledge of good agricultural practices. Through monthly training over a four year period farmers learn about improved agricultural techniques, care of cocoa trees, including pruning techniques and regeneration measures, preventive disease control, post-harvest treatment, including fermentation and drying of the beans, and personal health and social issues.

The training also makes the farmers eligible FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

for sustainable certification, as a result of which they will receive an additional premium when selling UTZ Certified, Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade certified cocoa.

The farmers – as well as the cooperative – are awarded UTZ, Rainforest Alliance, or Fairtrade certification following an independent third party audit. The first two coops in Côte d’Ivoire received certification in 2008 and since then, nearly U.S. $25 million in certified premiums have been received by 40,000 Ivorian farmers. Over 50 per cent of the payments go directly to the farmers, corresponding to the volumes they have sold, with the remaining sum invested by cooperatives to support their members and local communities.

By promoting and providing education and health facilities, we’re helping to improve livelihoods in some of Côte d’Ivoire’s poorest communities, and we are well on track to reach our target of 100,000 tonnes of certified sustainable cocoa beans from Côte d’Ivoire by 2015, which is a major step in the sustainability journey.

Five Years of Progress in Ghana Meanwhile in neighbouring Ghana, Cargill has just celebrated the fifth anniversary of our cocoa processing operations there, as well as reaffirming our support to growing and developing the country’s cocoa sector and the renewal of our partnership with CARE, a leading humanitarian organisation fighting

“Supporting and strengthening farmer organisations is central to our commitment to securing a long-term supply of high quality cocoa and to improving cocoa farmers’ livelihoods.”

global poverty, to support smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana.

This renewal includes a commitment of over U.S. $800,000 to support the development of a sustainable supply chain.

Over the next three years, Cargill and CARE will build on achievements since 2006 to improve livelihoods in 110 cocoa communities in Ghana. Through a community development approach the project will continue to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farming households, increase access to education for local children and support sustainable cocoa production.

Over the next three years the project aims to: • Help increase the incomes of over 5,500 farmers and their families • Enable over 12,500 children to complete primary school • Provide support to over 3,000 parents to improve the education and nutrition of their children • Train 850 teachers and education officials Ghanaian farmers have also recently received the second and final premium payment for the cocoa growing season Fiscal Year 12/13, with 3,900 benefiting from this payment.

The Cargill Cocoa Promise has already been introduced in six cocoa growing countries; Côte d’Ivoire, Vietnam, Cameroon, Indonesia, Ghana and Brazil.

Effective Farmer Organisations – Professionalising the Business of Cocoa Cargill sees the establishment and strengthening of farmers’ organisations and cooperatives as essential for both the farmers and the longterm future of the cocoa supply chain. These cooperatives are our link to supporting farmers and their local communities and a key part of our commitment.

In Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire we have facilitated the employment of over 120 administration managers to bring administrative and governance support to cooperatives, as well as investing in upcountry buying stations close to the organisations and maintaining close relations with them.

Well-run farmers’ organisations serve a number of purposes. As transparent bodies they are reliable centres for logistical support, market information and knowledge sharing.

They can also act as a bank for their members, often the only such facility in the area, which gives farmers the chance to invest and work towards future growth. Cooperatives also support communities generally as they may operate a school bus to ensure access to schools. Overall they can take a long view, safeguarding quality and the future supply of cocoa.

Cargill’s Coop Academy Bearing the importance of cooperatives in mind, we launched the Cargill Coop Academy in Côte d’Ivoire in October 2013 to help farmers develop advanced business skills and share best practice.

It is the first business skills programme for cocoa farmer cooperative executives to be created, providing cooperative managers with 28 days of intensive training, followed by a year of personalised and on-the-ground coaching.

Our Managing Director in Côte d'Ivoire, Lionel Soulard, explains: “Supporting and strengthening farmer organisations is central to our commitment to securing a long-term supply of high quality cocoa and to improving cocoa farmers’ livelihoods.

“The Coop Academy programme is the first to offer this level and scale of training to the cocoa sector. It provides cooperative leaders with the knowledge to improve the day-to-day running of their coops, and crucially enables them to develop the skills to grow their business successfully.”

The Academy aims to reach over 400 cooperative leaders across 110 of Cargill’s partner cooperatives and aims to train executives from 50 cooperatives by 2015. Already, 40 executives from 10 cocoa cooperatives, including the Cinpa and Ecanc cooperatives, have graduated from the Academy. These coops have implemented changes such as improving transparency around their daily management, FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

building trust and motivation with their member farmers and put in place controls and automated systems.

The Cargill Coop Academy has been developed in partnership with TechnoServe, a nonprofit organisation that develops business solutions to poverty, and INPHB (Côte d'Ivoire’s leading university), and is supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) and Emerging Leaders, an NGO focused on bringing leadership training to farmer communities.

Leading the Way As well as Côte d’Ivoire, the extensive training programmes and social support projects which operate as part Cargill’s Cocoa Promise are currently up and running – and being expanded – in countries including Cameroon, Brazil, Vietnam and Ghana.

Through our network of partnerships, including working with our customers to achieve their sustainability goals and commitments, the extensive programme of direct farmer training and by working to support farmers’ organisations, Cargill’s Cocoa Promise is making a real and lasting difference to farmers and leading the way in building a sustainable future for cocoa.

To find out more visit: www.cargillcocoachocolate.com and click on the Cargill Cocoa Promise. J

“The Coop Academy programme is the first to offer this level and scale of training to the cocoa sector.

It provides cooperative leaders with the knowledge to improve the day-to-day running of their coops, and crucially enables them to develop the skills to grow their business successfully.”

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I SUSTAINABLE COCOA

Growing Usage of Sustainable Cocoa he world’s top food manufacturers are T intensifying their efforts to use sustainably produced cocoa in their products.

Nestlé has scaled up its Nestlé Cocoa Plan to increase the sustainable supply of quality cocoa and the number of cocoa farmers and their communities who benefit from the initiative, to deliver a record amount of sustainable cocoa in 2013.

The Nestlé Cocoa Plan aims to enable farmers to run profitable farms, eliminate the use of child labour and ensure a sustainable supply of cocoa.

Wherever possible, Nestlé works with farmer organisations such as co-operatives, in the belief that these are beneficial to farmers giving them the scale to market their cocoa collectively. Nestlé builds on this framework by using the expertise of or partnering with other organisations.

These partners can be non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government organisations or private companies depending on the local circumstances.

Nestlé has partners in the areas of child labour sensitisation, water and sanitation, farmer training, trees and certification.

Certification Certification is a good way to reward farmers and their organisations for producing sustainable cocoa. But it also gives consumers added assurance that the cocoa was produced under proper conditions. There are various certification systems under way to recognise cocoa farmers who are operating in accordance with higher quality standards, giving these farms and farmer organisations a form of official certification as well as better prices for their cocoa. UTZ Certified and 50

Fairtrade are two such examples.

In addition, Nestlé is also involved with industry wide programmes through World Cocoa Foundation (WCF).

For instance, the Swiss food giant, working with the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and the Red Cross Society, recently provided almost 100,000 people in cocoa-growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire with access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. A total of 50 water pumps and 68 blocs of school toilets have been built or renovated over the past four years in communities and schools in rural areas of the country where Nestlé sources cocoa. $400 Million Investment in Sustainable Cocoa Farming Mondelez International, the world's largest chocolate company with brands such as Milka, Cadbury and Toblerone, is investing $400 million over a ten year period in sustainable cocoa farming.

‘Cocoa Life’ is the company’s largest, most comprehensive cocoa sustainability effort to date aimed at improving the livelihoods and living conditions of more than 200,000 cocoa farmers and about one million people in cocoa farming communities. Cocoa Life will deliver $100 million of new investment to Cote d’Ivoire - the world’s largest cocoa producing country - to help 75,000 farmers double their productivity.

Cocoa Life entails collaboration with governments, civil society and suppliers with a mission to transform the cocoa supply chain. Mondelez International is already working with third party experts such the United Nations Development Program, the World Wildlife Fund and Anti-Slavery International to develop a robust set of principles for success and FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

ways to measure progress.

Cocoa Life is based on Mondelez International’s successful Cadbury Cocoa Partnership in Ghana,India and the Dominican Republic Indonesia, which is the third-largest cocoa producer in the world, recently became the fifth origin country to launch Cocoa Life. Mondelez International has entered an agreement with the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI) and suppliers Armajaro and Olam to promote sustainable Indonesian cocoa farming, improve cocoa bean quality and support the development of thriving Indonesian cocoa communities.

Unilever is currently sourcing more than a third of its agricultural raw materials sustainably, having made significant progress towards its target of 100% by 2020. For cocoa, 43% was sourced sustainably by the end of 2012. And 64% of cocoa for Magnum was sustainably sourced through Rainforest Alliance certification. To achieve certification, Unilever has been working with supplier Barry Callebaut to run farmer field schools with 20,000 small farmers across West Africa.

Higher Yields and Better Crops Certification also makes sound business sense. Independent research shows that UTZ certified cocoa, coffee and tea farms generate higher yields and better quality crops than conventional farms, and being trained in the UTZ Code of Conduct helps farmers to improve their knowledge and adopt sustainable farming practices. As a result, farmers can generate more income and create better opportunities while safeguarding the environment. J

I SUSTAINABLE COCOA

Quality Cocoa For a Better Life – A Unique Partnership o make quality chocolate, we need qualT ity cocoa. And to meet the growing demand for chocolate, we need to safeguard future cocoa supplies. With the Quality Partner Program (QPP), Barry Callebaut has made a long-term commitment to do just that. Barry Callebaut works with farmer cooperatives and provides training to help enable cocoa farmers

to improve the quality of their farms. By producing more and better quality cocoa in a sustainable and responsible way, farmers can increase their incomes and improve their livelihoods.

Today, Barry Callebaut partners with more than 58 cooperatives, which together represent some 42,000 cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast.

other factors. This makes improving the quality of farms an urgent issue.

Through the Quality Partner Program (QPP), Barry Callebaut offers training to enable farmers to grow healthy, productive and robust cocoa crops. By participating in Farmer Field Schools and other training activities, farmers can increase their knowledge about good agricultural practices as well as sound labor practices. They learn how to effectively manage pests and diseases that can harm the fragile and sensitive cocoa trees, and about the importance of ensuring biodiversity on their farms.

Better Quality Cocoa To make high quality chocolate, we need high quality cocoa beans. That’s why Barry Callebaut takes extra care to ensure that the cocoa it buys from participating QPP cooperatives meets the company’s strict quality requirements. Before they may join the program, the cooperatives must meet a set of core criteria and agree to uphold a

Better Quality Farms Cocoa farmers in West Africa face many challenges. The productivity of their farms is declining due to aging trees, depleted soils, and poor farming practices, among charter that outlines the QPP principles. In return, they get financing support to serve the needs of their farmer members, and business training. The cooperatives also learn how to integrate quality standards for cocoa into their business processes.

Farmers receive training too. By improving their farms through proper pruning, weeding and maintenance, and by carefully fermenting and drying the harvested beans, they can produce more and higher quality cocoa. Barry Callebaut pays the cooperatives a higher price for cocoa that meets specific quality grades. Bags of cocoa can be traced back to the partner cooperatives, who in turn keep track of their transactions FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

with farmer members.

Better Quality of Life Cocoa is grown in a narrow belt around the equator by mainly smallholder farmers and their families in some of the poorest areas of the world. There is often a shortage of adequate schools, medical facilities, clean water, and energy sources. By producing higher quantities of better quality cocoa, farmers can increase their incomes and ultimately improve their quality of life.

Together with the QPP cooperatives, Barry Callebaut works to improve access to education and basic healthcare services.

Barry Callebaut emphasizes the importance of schooling for children, and supports sensitization activities on child labor issues. Barry Callebaut’s goal is to ensure that cocoa offers a secure livelihood for farmers – now and for generations to come.

For more information go to: www.qualitypartnerprogram.com or www.barrycallebaut.com. J

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I DAIRY

FrieslandCampina on Track With Route2020 FrieslandCampina is investing heavily in innovation and efficiency in order to improve its competitive position in Europe ahead of the abolition of EC milk quotas, as the Netherlands-based dairy co-operative continues to pursue its route2020 development strategy. ormed by the merger of Dutch cooperatives Friesland Foods and Campina in 2008, Friesland Campina is owned by more than 19,000 member dairy farmers in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. With annual revenue of Eur10.3 billion in 2012 FrieslandCampina is one of the world’s five largest dairy companies.

The group employs about 20,000 people in 28 countries and its products are sold in more than 100 countries worldwide across its key regions of Europe, Asia and Africa.

FrieslandCampina’s products include dairybased beverages, infant and toddler nutrition, cheese, butter, cream, desserts and functional dairy-based ingredients. In addition to consumer products Friesland Campina also supplies professional customers, the food industry and the pharmaceutical sector.

Headquartered at Amersfoort in the Netherlands, FrieslandCampina’s activities are divided into four market-oriented business groups: Consumer Products Europe, Middle East & Africa; Consumer Products Asia; Cheese, Butter & Milk Powder; and Ingredients.

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Development Strategy Route2020 is Royal FrieslandCampina’s ten years development plan for improving its financial performance and the returns paid to farmer members. The dairy group achieved record sales for 2012 along with a substantial increase in profit to Eur274 million.

Route 2020 is aimed at growth and value

Cees

‘t

Hart,

chief

executive

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Royal

FrieslandCampina.

creation in selected markets and product categories in order to improve the position of the co-operative’s member dairy farmers.

Under the route2020 strategy, Friesland Campina will focus its investments and innovations on a selected number of value drivers. FrieslandCampina has defined six growth categories including dairy-based beverages, toddler nutrition and branded cheese.

While FrieslandCampina strives to expand the share of added-value and branded products within its total sales volume to aid further increases in operating profit, it intends to achieve growth in a climate-neutral way throughout its entire supply chain from cow to consumer. For example, the company works with the member dairy farmers and supply chain partners on improving energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and stimulating the production of sustainable energy on dairy farms.

Improving Competitiveness in Europe The‘route2020’ strategy involves significant investment to expand milk processing capacity, with an annual spend of between Eur400 million and Eur500 million. Most of the investments are taking place in the FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

Netherlands - particularly in expanding production capacity in the infant and toddler nutrition segment, which is exhibiting strong growth due to the increasing demand from Asia for high-quality dairy products.

For instance, to increases its export production capacity, FrieslandCampina is constructing a new plant for infant and toddler nutrition and ingredients in Borculo at a cost of Eur135 million, as well as investing Eur110 million in the replacement and expansion of the processing capacity for evaporated milk products in Leeuwarden. These projects are in addition to the Eur200 million investments Friesland Campina committed to in the first half of 2013.

The investments are designed to enable FrieslandCampina to profit from the increasing demand for products with added-value and to have the capacity to process the expected increased quantity of milk supplied by member dairy farmers after the abolition of EU milk quotas in 2015. In 2012, FrieslandCampina invested a total of Eur423 million to expand its processing capacity.

FrieslandCampina is constructing a new plant for infant and toddler nutrition and ingredients in Borculo at a cost of Eur135 million.

Indeed, FrieslandCampina has invested about Eur600 million over the past three years to expand its production capacity in 53

the Netherlands. However, faced with difficult market conditions in Europe, FrieslandCampina is now in the process of restructuring its Dutch production operations and distribution of fresh dairy products such as milk, yoghurts and desserts, in order to improve efficiency.

FrieslandCampina is owned by more than 19,000 member dairy farmers in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.

Cees ‘t Hart, chief executive of Royal FrieslandCampina: “We’re ahead of schedule in achieving our route2020 strategy, thanks to the favourable developments in Asia and the sales of ingredients for the food industry. We are investing heavily in this area. However, margins on several branded products are under pressure in a number of European countries due to lagging consumer spending. Improving efficiency and stepping up the pace of innovation for branded products are therefore key to our approach in Europe.”

FrieslandCampina has already initiated

this process in Germany and Hungary.

Innovation Innovation is an important aspect of FrieslandCampina’s route2020 strategy.

The company’s innovation and development work concentrates on the growth categories of dairy-based beverages, infant and toddler nutrition, and branded cheese.

Specific focus areas include: growth and development in children, daily diets, health and wellbeing, and functionality (structure).

Last October, FrieslandCampina officially opened a new Innovation Centre on the campus of Wageningen University & Research Centre, where 6,500 staff and 10,000 students carry out work to promote healthy nutrition and a healthy environment. The FrieslandCampina Innovation Centre, which will have a staff complement of 450, 350 of whom will work in research and development, is equipped with every facility.

FrieslandCampina is committed to helping resolve three major social problems the need for sufficient nutrients for the growing world population, progressive ageing and the need to create future prospects for farmers, and demand for affordable food and sustainable production chains.

“FrieslandCampina now has a state-of-

FrieslandCampina has opened a new Innovation Centre on the campus of Wageningen University & Research Centre.

the-art innovation centre that will work towards bringing about innovative and sustainable solutions for all these global issues,” says Cees ’t Hart. “We want to ensure that we can bring healthy nutrients to all parts of the world. And we are confident that we can get even more out of milk than we do at present. After all, each calorie of milk contains many essential nutrients such as proteins, vitamins and minerals.”

Prior to inaugurating the new Innovation Centre in Wageningen, FrieslandCampina opened a Development Centre in Singapore for the development of dairy-based beverages and infant and toddler nutrition specifically targeted at consumers in Asia. J

I DAIRY

Broad-based Growth by Emmi in Switzerland and Abroad wiss dairy group Emmi has increased net S sales by 10.6% to SFr3.23 billion (Eur2.64 billion), slightly exceeding its own targets, for 2013. The good result is attrib-

Urs Riedener, chief executive of Emmi.

utable to the strengthening of international business and the encouraging performance in the Swiss market, which saw organic growth for the first time since 2008. Success factors included Emmi Caffè Latte, Kaltbach and other cheese specialities in Switzerland and abroad, as well as the newly launched brands ‘Jogurtpur’ (Pure Swiss Yogurt) and ‘good day’ in Switzerland.

Further positive effects were generated by recent acquisitions.

In organic terms, when adjusted for acquisitions and currency effects, net sales at group level rose by 1.6%. All product segments of Emmi’s core business made positive contributions.

In the Swiss market, net sales rose from SFr1.84 billion to SFr1.86 billion. The increase of 1.1% is based on positive developments in the three high-turnover segments - dairy products, cheese and fresh products. Switzerland accounted for 56% of group sales.

Emmi’s international business increased FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

net sales by 26.0% to SFr1.44 billion, with several factors contributing to this development. Emmi Caffè Latte also performed well internationally, particularly in Austria, the UK and Spain. Exports of various cheese specialities including fondue and raclette increased, and the locally produced range in the USA, as well as Chile and Tunisia (cheese, fresh products, dairy products) also performed very well.

Urs Riedener, chief executive of Emmi, comments: “Group sales performed according to plan, and in Switzerland we even exceeded our expectations. The encouraging growth in our domestic market is a clear sign that we are steering our product portfolio in the right direction, and that we have set our priorities well.” J 55

I DAIRY

Zott Continues its Eastward Expansion German dairy company Zott is continuing its expansion into Eastern Europe having recently opened a new factory at Gradacac in Bosnia-Herzegovina. rocessing about 900 million liters of milk annually, Zott produces yoghurt, desserts and cheese specialities and is well known for its dairy brands, such as Zott Sahne-Joghurt, Monte, Jogobella and Zottarella. Based at Mertingen in Bavaria, about 30 kilometres north of Augsburg. Zott operates another German production plant in Gunzburg along with three facilities in Poland - at Opole, Glogowo near Torun and Raciborz – plus the site in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In addition to yoghurt and dessert production, the main plant at Mertingen also manufactures mozzarella. The site at Gunzburg specialises in the production of hard and soft cheese as well as a multitude of powder products for the processing industry. The production sites in Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina are focused on the production of fruit yoghurts, natural products, desserts and drinks.

Zott’s sales have more than doubled since 1997 and have increased from Eur716 million in 2007 to Eur848 million in 2012.

The workforce has also doubled since 1997 with the company currently employing about 2,000 people.

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€25 Million Investment The new 2,000 sq m facility in BosniaHerzegovina involved investment of about KM50 million (Eur25 million). “The dairy will produce milk for our market but also

its current name. The company is still privately owned with the third generation of the family now in control.

Expansion Zott has successfully expanded its products and brands portfolio over the years along with its geographical reach. It established national distribution in Germany in the 1980s following the introduction of Zott Cream Yoghurt and also commenced its international growth. Zott acquired its first foreign production plant in Poland in the late 1990s.

In 2012, Zott further expanded its presence in Eastern Europe with the acquisition of Bacha Polska, a dairy business located in Glogowo with additional processing facilities in the town of Raciborz.

Zott has been developing its international business for many years and has established sales offices in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and a representative office in Russia. The company’s products are now sold in more than 75 countries around the world.

Zott was established in 1926 when Anna and Balthasar Reiter bought a small country dairy, chiefly producing cheese. When the widowed Anna Reiter later married Georg Zott, the dairy received FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

for export outside the CEFTA countries, but also for the EU countries, mostly Croatia,” says Admir Tursunovic, director of milk purchasing at Zott South East Europe.

Indeed, Zott has already developed a strong presence in Croatia, where it holds a 10% market share of the fruit yoghurt market and 28% of the dairy desserts category.

The dairy in BosniaHerzegovina is now trading under the name of Zott South East Europe, which covers the Adriatic region. This part of Eastern Europe is characterised by expanding markets for high quality dairy products. Zott moved into BosniaHerzegovina in 2012 following the acquisition of Mlijecni Put (Milky Way) dairy in Gradacac. J 57

I DAIRY

16 Yoghurt Cups in 4.0 Seconds! njection moulding machines from Sumitomo (SHI) Demag have enabled IBavarian food producer, Zott, to produce its decorated yoghurt cups onsite.

Finished IML cups before transport.

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has supplied 14 injection moulding machines to Zott. These machines are currently in operation at the group’s cup plant helping to package popular brands including Zott Sahne-Joghurt, Monte, Jogobella and Zottarella.

This independent, family-owned enterprise, which was formed in 1926, has made innovation and an enthusiasm for research a top priority, a mission it has fulfilled by building its own yoghurt tub factory on its own premises. The yogurt cup production

started in 1987 and the dairy produces some of the containers that Zott needs for its products.

The injection moulding machines, which include Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s EL-EXIS 250-1450, produce the plastic cups, known as ‘goblets’, 24 hours a day using the inmould labelling (IML) technique. “At the same time, machines of the same type produce the Zott Jogole cups,” explains Theodor Hosp, Production Manager of the cup plant.

Zott has decided in favour of several identical machines from Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, all with identical features, in order to simplify the general technical conditions for production. “The combination of several machines for one product, and the high output this entails, guarantee a cost-effective production process. Producing our own cups gives us an economical delivery situation at the filling stations,” he adds.

Removal position on the 6-cavity moulds: The handling system removes the finished cups (left of the mould) and inserts new IML labels for the following cycle (right of the mould).

View of one of the production halls at the Zott yoghurt cup factory.

The storage system for the labels allows the simultaneous production of cups with varying motifs.

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The handling systems on both machines stack the cups before they are transported onto the packing station. A sensor detects the label during the quality assurance phase and picks out any cups that have been left undecorated. The cups are then checked for holes at a turning station by applying a voltage.

The cups with no flaws are packed in the plant’s own cardboard packaging system.

The dairy in Mertingen has launched a new product for the Zott Jogobella line supplied to the market of Central Europe. For this Sumitomo (SHI) Demag supplied an ElExis S 350-2300 with an 8+8-cavity stack mould producing in a cycle of 4.0 seconds.

“We chose the El-Exis due to its low energy consumption, an aspect that is very important for us,” explains Theodor Hosp. “We have also integrated the IML paper technique into the new machine.”

Depending on requirements, the system produces labels with two different motifs FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

simultaneously. They can also be exchanged during production - due to 32 integrated change systems. Quality control combines a sensor that checks the position and the presence of the label, and a hole test is carried out using high voltage.

The company is confident about its new manufacturing concept. “We not only have a very high output, but also a new transport system to the packaging machines. Thanks to the latest technology, this runs on little electricity, and the version used by Zott is the first of its kind to be used in the production areas.” J

View of the stack mould at the production plant.

I FLUID CONTROL SYSTEMS

New Dessert & Yoghurt Production Plant Uses Bürkert AirLINE Pneumatic Solution to Bring Control Closer to the Process ürkert's stainless steel AirLINE Quick B valve island solution has cut installation costs, improved operating integrity and is delivering ongoing economies in the control of up to 2000 pneumatic process components operating on a new dessert and yoghurt line installed by FrieslandCampina at its plant in Gutersloh, in the Westphalia region of Germany. The project, an early application for AirLINE Quick, demonstrates the many operating and cost saving advantages of the new smart system in strict hygienic environments characterised by harsh cleaning elements and water.

The project at Gutersloh was a collaboration between FrieslandCampina, Bürkert and the Stuttgart-based VA Group, which has been planning and installing processing equipment for the food industry since 1993. Previously, 300,000 litres of fresh milk were processed daily in Gutersloh for dessert and yoghurt products. This capacity has now been significantly increased by the construction of a new production building and the launch of a flexible production line for blancmange and yoghurt products, which was completely linked up by mid2012, following the completion of no less than five parallel packaging lines.

In designing and installing the complex production line, consisting of a computercontrolled system with a branched network of stainless steel pipes, pumps, mixers, heaters and sterile tanks that can hold up to 12,000 litres, the Stuttgart plant engineers relied on Bürkert's compact Type 8640 sys-

tem: "AirLINE Quick" valve islands installed in Rittal hygienic design (HD) enclosures. Almost 2,000 pneumatic process components are needed to precisely inject and help circulate the most diverse media in the highly complex system, in which an automatic "clean-in-place" (CIP) cleaning and disinfection system for all the piping and tanks is also integrated. Several tonnes of heavy pneumatic actuators are installed – equipped with initiators for optical status monitoring in huge pneumatic nodes. These are laid out so efficiently at the Gutersloh plant that they can be reached via walk-on metal catwalks for quick and easy servicing. The process valve nodes, which control the specific medium currently conveyed and in whi ch dosage – are controlled by a total of 42 HD enclosures, each with 24-station, IP65 rated, AirLINE Quick valve islands, including digital inputs for feedback.

In the configuration designed for FrieslandCampina, employing Profibus DP communications, the bulk of the pneumatic enclosures are lined up in rank and file order, very close to the valve nodes, and are thus installed right in the middle of the hygienesensitive process field.

"Where once 20, 30 or even 50 metres had been necessary, sometimes just five metres is enough to get from the enclosure to the actuator or sensor with this optimised installation," said KaiThe hygienic design pneumatic housings are available in 3 standard Ulrich Seifer, Burkert's widths at constant constructional height and depth.

Field Segment Manager FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

for the Hygienic Segment. "Cost reductions are further reinforced by the fact that the entire system is of "hygienic" construction. This, in turn, reduces the costs of the cleaning process."

"For us, pneumatic enclosures so close to the process took some getting used to – especially since we have always had to be careful in the past when cleaning," says dairy foreman Tim Borgstaedt, who as Deputy Head of the 'Preparation Department' with its 35 employees at FrieslandCampina in Gutersloh, is not only in charge of choosing the right ingredients and the appropriate product mix, but is also responsible for the absolutely vital hygiene. "We still find it a bit difficult to take when we aggressively wash down AirLINE Quick valve islands in HD enclosures with detergents and high-pressure cleaners. However, we realised a long time ago that these necessary cleaning procedures are always completed without problems."

Key Features of the AirLINE Quick System

Quick installation and the highest operational reliability are key advantages of the compact Type 8640 valve terminal, which is installed on a stainless steel mounting plate, and offers up to 24 three and fiveway pneumatic functions. Thanks to its modular mounting and adapter plate, and tailor-made cut-outs, the ready-to-connect pneumatic block can be directly integrated into an enclosure base. This means that the number of connections in the enclosure is considerably reduced.

In addition, the fact that the external adapter for AirLINE Quick - including the hose connection technology - is manufactured from solid V2A stainless steel offers excellent resistance to aggressive cleaning agents, and also eliminates the requirement for pneumatic piping in enclosures. The use of stainless steel is crucial, because commercially available mounting plates made of aluminium start to 'bloom' after a certain number of cleaning cycles. By contrast, stainless steel has proven resistant to the most aggressive 'wash down' attacks - and in the long term remains without blemish. J 59

I ASEPTIC PACKAGING

Greatview – Opening the Aseptic Carton Market septic liquid food packaging has transA formed the distribution and consumption of many liquid foods. The separation of the sterilisation of the liquid product from the packaging in production optimises the taste, nutritional content, flavour, odour and colour of the food, while minimising factory space and energy consumption.

The continuous form, fill and seal aseptic carton system devised in the 1960s remains today one of the best means to package and distribute sensitive liquid foods. Inside the filling machine, the sterilised, printed packaging material is continuously wrapped around a vertical column of sterile liquid, sealed then formed into brick shaped packages, ready-formed for efficient distribution and with excellent consumer acceptance.

Multiple layers of material in the package protect the content from light, microbes and oxygen, allowing distribution over long distances and without refrigeration.

Continuous form, fill and seal.

Particularly suited for juice and milk, this robust and elegant concept has efficiently connected food producers with consumers for half a century. In 2013, an estimated 160 billion packages of this type were consumed around the World.

For many decades however, very little competitive pressure has been exerted on prices, quality or drive for innovation, as just one company has dominated supply of

Greatview’s Halle factory is supplying customers in Europe, the Americas, Middle East, Africa and the Far East.

both filling machines and the consumables of the systems that use this technique.

Quality Supply Today Greatview has established itself as the second largest supplier of roll-fed packaging material, with a worldwide presence and with a major impact on the aseptic liquid food industry. With a new state-ofthe-art manufacturing facility in Halle (Saale), Ger-many, and drawing on world-class material suppliers from Germany, Europe, the Americas and Asia, Greatview offers a packaging material specification that is on par or better than the market leader.

Greatview’s Halle factory is supplying customers in Europe, the Americas, Middle East, Africa and the Far East.

Proudly Made in Germany Greatview firmly be-lieves in the benefits that open markets bring to producers, consumers and society, and is committed to open the market even further. Open markets create healthy competition, which drives efficiency, quality, choice and innovation.

In Europe, the freedom of producers to independently purchase filling machine, FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

packaging and closures is underwritten in law. Liquid food producers choosing Greatview can do so with the knowledge that they have both chosen a World Class supplier with competitive prices, and at the same time they are driving innovation and excellence into the aseptic packaging market.

Meeting Consumer Trends The biggest change in aseptic cartons in recent years has been the rapid growth in closures for larger size packages, as consumers have come to expect to be able to both open and securely reseal partially consumed packages for storage in the refrigerator. While straws remain the predominant opening device worldwide for portion packs, plastic closures are fast becoming the norm on the 1 litre size.

Says Jeff Bi, CEO of Greatview Aseptic, “There are many kinds of closures and many competing claims about what consumers prefer, but we strongly believe that people simply want closures that are intuitive, easy to use and which provide unambiguous tamper evidence.“ He continues: “For producers, it is also important to understand that certain closures require proprietary features on the packaging material. Producers who choose systems requiring these features will be forced back into the monopolistic carton supply situation of years past, and they should be sure that they understand this before they commit themselves. Greatview can supply information as to what closure systems restrict choice of packaging material supply.” J 61

I ASEPTIC PACKAGING

SPX Offers Process Solutions and Expertise to the Dairy Industry he dairy industry is changing with more companies consolidating manufacturing T facilities and investing in single, larger plants. Such moves give large dairy brands the ability to modernise with the latest production technologies and provide a path for improved efficiency, viability and sustainability.

SPX provides innovative solutions to the dairy industry with brands including APV and Gerstenberg SchrĂśder (GS). Its offerings include a comprehensive range of butter, spreads, cheese and margarine process technology. SPX has recently seen success on major projects in these areas based on its application expertise and proven ability to produce efficient, turnkey solutions.

SPX Gerstenberg-Schroeder Nexus Scraped Surface heat Exchanger.

Edible Fats and Oils For the production of edible fats and oils, SPX is able to provide complete crystallisation lines including tanks, pasteurisation, pumps, scraped surface heat exchangers (SSHE) and pin rotor machines which can improve operational efficiencies and offer high quality results. Technology such as the

all of which can be carried out before committing to full scale production.

The market-leading technologies SPX offers for the production of butters and spreads recently led to it being awarded a major contract for the supply of processing lines in this area. SPX Innovation Centres in Denmark demonstrated the ability to replicate existing product qualities with the latest, efficient technology and, based on a drive for growth and improved efficiencies, the project will allow a major UK dairy supplier to consolidate production of products into one factory.

SPX APV OPD pre-press for flexible pre-pressing kinds of semi-hard and hard cheese types.

unique GS Nexus SSHE, which uses the natural refrigerant C02, improves cooling efficiency to enable faster product crystallisation. This creates smaller, more plentiful crystals to enhance the quality of fats and margarines. SPX Innovation Centres further support system development, offering the ability to carry out complete trials for butter and spreads production, including process line and system trials, product testing, recipe development and recipe testing -

provide high yield and consistent quality while reducing labour requirements and improving safety.

Again, the fully equipped Innovation Centres, where customers can trial their application, complement the latest cheese producing technologies from SPX and, along with global support capability, contribute significantly to successful and rapid system implementation. Included within the success SPX has recently seen is a project awarded to SPX in Australia that will result in the manufacture of over 16 cheese types and formats. It incorporates SPX pressed cheese manufacturing equipment including the fully automated CheeseMaster vats along with flexible OPD pre-pressing, SaniPress systems for use with semi-hard and hard cheese and an APV brand RackBrine water cooling and brining system. The resulting system will be fully supported by SPX in Australia and will be one of the most flexible cheese plants in the world by the middle of 2014 – again enabling manufacturing consolidation and improved efficiencies for increased sustainability.

SPX is fully committed to the dairy industry including edible fats and oils and cheese manufacturing. Its equipment and services are designed to deliver the latest technologies to provide flexible, efficient, high performing solutions that will help reduce production costs and improve profitability. Its Innovation Centres, global support teams and continued research and development into various areas of the dairy industry demonstrates its long-term commitment to continue to serve and offer real solutions with real customer benefits. J

Cheese Production In cheese production SPX can provide complete cheese lines from milk retrieval to cheese storage of all including curd preparation and pre-pressing, pressing and acidification and brining. Its solutions offer flexible and efficient results and include technologies such as the fully automated CheeseMaster plant. The CheeseMaster is a highly flexible processing line, which can be, utilized for all types of European Pressed Cheese (EPC) including hard, semi-hard, round, rectangular, regular eyed and irregular eyed.

SPX Innovation Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark.

SPX fully automated cheese lines

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I INSPECTION SYSTEMS

New Belt Conveyor Checkweigher Ensures Production Lines Benefit from Improved Safety Protection anufacturers and production lines for food, pharmaceuticals, cosM metics and fast-moving consumer goods can now benefit from improved safety protection in explosive manufacturing environments

enables manufacturers to optimise production line efficiency, but also uphold the highest standards of safety for employees.” For further information visit www.mt.com/garvens-atex. J

with a new ATEX certified checkweigher designed by Mettler-Toledo Garvens. The innovative XS3 checkweigher offers exceptional weighing sensitivity to minimise the instance of costly product giveaway and an advanced design to comply with European ATEX safety requirements for devices used in areas at risk of explosion. Featuring an antistatic belt conveyor, the checkweigher is also ideal for the inspection of small, lightweight products.

The European Union Directive 94/9/EC (ATEX 95) stipulates essential safety requirements for equipment used in explosion hazard zones, such as those involved in the production of dusty, powdered products or flammable gases and aerosols. These materials can, in the right quantities, and with an appropriate source of ignition, cause an explosion – with serious implications for employee safety and damage to production line equipment. ATEX standards classify such production lines into zones according to the nature and gravity of the explosion risk to specify appropriate devices. Prior to selecting equipment for the line, manufacturers must also ensure they acquire zone confirmation documentation, including all the information necessary to enable suppliers to offer the most appropriate solutions for compliance.

In addition to offering exceptional levels of weighing sensitivity, the XS3 checkweigher has been certified by ATEX assessors as a Category 3 device, making it suitable for use in Zone 2 gassy environments (Category 3G) and Zone 22 (Category 3D) dusty atmospheres.

“The risk of explosion during manufacture is a highly common one, even for food and cosmetic producers, so it is important that they do all they can to minimise the danger for their employees and the potential damage to their machinery,” says Kerstin Bernhart, Marketing Manager, Mettler-Toledo Garvens. “Advanced, sensitive checkweighing technology that meets the rigours of ATEX certification not only

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QUALITY

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& HYGIENE

INSPECTION SYSTEMS

Goudsmit Joins EHEDG as First Magnetic Supplier oudsmit Magnetic Systems of Waalre, G the Netherlands, has recently joined the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG), being the first magnetic supplier. A consortium of equipment manufacturers, food industries, research institutes as well as public health authorities, it was founded to promote hygiene during the processing and packaging of food products.

The company will introduce a new series of magnetic systems on the market which will fulfill all the EHEDG standards. At the ‘CFIA’ Trade Fair in Rennes (Hal 5 D28/E31), for example, Goudsmit will introduce a recently developed fast-cleaning clean flow magnet that reaches a magnetic field of 10,700 Gauss on the bars in the product. The magnet system removes iron particles and weak magnetic particles from powdery substances (eg milk powder, sugar and flour).

With the application of a new generation of Neoflux® magnets, it is also possible to capture weak magnetic particles such as 304 stainless steel. Because the grill of this new

The fast-cleaning clean flow magnet of which the casing is made of 304 stainless steel. The entire machine has a smooth finish (Ra 0.8u) thus complying with the HACCP/EHEDG requirements. It obtains a magnetic field of 10,700 Gauss.

type of clean flow magnet can be drawn outwards via a rail, the magnet ensures a smooth operation and full safety (CE mark) for the operators. The casing is made of 304 stainless steel and the entire machine has a smooth finish (Ra 0.8u) thus complying

with the HACCP/ EHEDG requirements.

As for Goudsmit the key focus areas of EHEDG are: • Prevention of contamination / prevention of growth of contaminants (harmful micro-organisms); • Cleanability and disinfection; • Material use; • Surface finish and geometry; • Testing of the designs for cleaning, sterilization and microbial impermeability.

The members of EHEDG are companies and organisations which are committed to the highest standards of food safety and strive to improve the overall image of the industry in the eyes of the consumer. The principal goal of EHEDG is the promotion of safe food by improving hygienic engineering and design in all aspects of food manufacture. The continued support of the members is essential to achieve the longterm goal of assisting in the prevention of food hygiene problems by the application of hygienic engineering. For more information visit www.ehedg.org. J

The Hindsight 20/20CAM Multi Camera System Can Monitor Your Entire Production Line ou can monitor your entire production Y line with Hindsight 20/20CAM from Monitoring Technology by using multiple camera heads on a local area network.

Interface multiple camera heads to one camera engine and either hardwire to a network or wirelessly transmit data to operator’s computer.

The Hindsight 20/20CAM packs the power of Hindsight System into a small high speed camera head. 20/20CAM's high speed video is continually stored inside the camera ‘engine’ with a massive SSD storage capacity. This ‘engine’ offers full network capability, thus offering a complete camera and event history control from the plant floor or an office PC on the corporate internet. 20/20CAM integrates camera, XP embedded computing, a high-speed field programmable gate array (FPGA) and patent-pending software technology into a single package.

The camera can be supplied with a choice of lenses including computer controlled motorized zoom lenses.

The system is IP65 rated and can be FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

made IP67 compatible.

The Hindsight 20/20CAM is sure to become your plant-critical troubleshooting and predictive maintenance tool.

For further information contact ALRAD IMAGING on Tel +44 (0)1635 30345 or visit www.alrad.co.uk. J 65

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Loma System Scoops National Manufacturing Award For Toolbox oma Systems, a manufacturer of food L inspection equipment, has won the national EEF Future Manufacturing Award for Innovative Operating Practices and Processes.

The manufacturer of metal detection, checkweighers and x-ray systems beat prestigious firms, including Rolls Royce and Siemens, to take the crown. The Innovative Practices and Processes award is a deserved recognition of Loma’s steadfast commitment to making food safer for customers.

The award acknowledged the firm’s development of new equipment with leading detection performances, as well as Loma’s QuickShip equipment delivery programme created to help customers quickly fulfil production spikes that regularly occur during promotional seasons and on receipt of retailer contracts.

EEF, dubbed the most powerful force that backs European manufacturing, hand-

picked Loma for successfully implementing a suite of business methods, called the ‘ToolBox’. These business simplification tools have been used to engage their workforce through transparent self-monitoring and decision-making; resulting in a positive impact on everything from product design and supply chain management, through to machine up-time rates and equipment maintenance.

One example is the reduction in equipment build time: “The ToolBox taught us to design and build equipment in zones with everything I need to configure the wiring of a panel now at my fingertips, build time is about 10% of what it was!

Knowing that I’m more productive, the new practices have greatly improved my job satisfaction,” says Loma Engineer Roy Lawler.

The judging panel felt Loma’s ‘ToolBox’ was an excellent example of a tried and

trusted approach which touched and enhanced all parts of the business.

The ‘ToolBox’ has been rolled out across Loma’s manufacturing facility, engineering and customer service departments over the last 48 months. It has resulted in the launch of a number of food inspection systems, unparalleled customer service response rates, plus a recent upsurge in new equipment orders.

“I’m overwhelmingly proud of the achievements the team have made and this award celebrates their hard work and dedication in implementing our ToolBox methodology,” comments Simon Spencer, Loma Systems Managing Director.

For further information visit www.loma.com or www.lockinspection .com. J

Milling Company Benefits From New Insight Vertical Fall Metal Detector century-old milling company in Suffolk, England, has invested in a state-of-the-art A metal detector from Lock Inspection Systems. C Marston & Sons is a family owned flour milling and cereal processing company. It has been operating for 103 years and is based in Icklingham in the heart of the East Anglian wheat-growing region. Today C Marston & Sons supplies a range of quality bread, biscuit and starch flours for food manufacturers in both the UK and mainland Europe.

As a company, C Marston & Sons takes product quality extremely seriously and continually assesses its production lines to ensure that flour is manufactured to the highest possible standards. As part of this mindset, the company recently installed an INSIGHT VF metal detection system from product inspection experts, Lock Inspection Systems.

The INSIGHT VF is designed to detect the presence of metal contamination in product which is flowing freely under gravity. A fast-acting sealed flap reject mechanism accurately removes ferrous, non-ferrous and high-grade stainless steel contaminants from the product flow. In order to ensure the highest possible levels of detection Lock specified a High Frequency system. In optimum conditions this detector can identify contaminants as small as 0.6mm ferrous, 0.7mm non-ferrous and 0.8mm stainless steel.

C Marston & Sons verifies the INSIGHT VF via its integral test kit which allows users to prove that the metal detector search head and rejection mechanism are both working as desired. The company is BRC accredited and uses the INSIGHT VF’s USB data port and OPTIX management software to compile detailed reports and log all tests performed.

Managing Director Duncan Marston comments: “We are proud of the products which we supply to our customers and the Lock metal detector gives us both quality assurance and brand protection. The INSIGHT VF was easy to integrate into our line due to its compact design and has quickly become a key part of our milling process.” J FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

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I GROCERY MARKET

Strong Performances From Sainsburys, Waitrose and Discounters he latest UK grocery share figures from Kantar Worldpanel, for the 12 T weeks ending 2 February 2014, show increased market share for Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and the discounters despite the overall grocery market growing at its slowest rate since 2005.

Fraser McKevitt, retail analyst at Kantar Worldpanel, explains: “Grocery market growth slipped slightly to 2.4%, indicating that brighter economic prospects are yet to be seen in the nation’s shopping trolleys. The slowest industry growth since 2005 made it hard for many of the biggest retailers to increase sales. However, shoppers felt the benefit as grocery inflation fell to only 2.1%.”

Asda managed to grow, with sales up 0.5% compared with a year ago, but lost share after failing to match the 2.4% market growth. Tesco and Morrison also lost market share as a result of declining sales.

As the UK’s biggest retailer, Tesco unsurprisingly reflected the slow overall market with sales down by 0.4% compared with the same period last year.

Fraser McKevitt continues: “Mike Coupe, who will be taking over from Sainsbury’s current CEO Justin King in July, will be inheriting the retailer in good shape as it continues to be the fastest grow-

ing of the big four – an unbroken run that stretches back nearly two years according to our reporting. Year-onyear growth of 2.7% was enough to boost Sainsbury’s market share to 17.1% from 17.0% a year ago.

“Double digit growth helped Aldi and Lidl to gain market share, as shopper habits evolve from using the so called ‘discounters’ to pick up a few items in between shops to them being considered an acceptable place for the weekly shopping trip. Aldi and Lidl together now account for 7.3% of sales, up 1.3% percentage points from last year.

Waitrose sales were up 5.6% compared with a year ago and this helped it to grow its share of the market to 4.9%.”

Grocery inflation stands at 2.1% for the 12 week period ending 2 February 2014.

This is at the lowest level since July 2010 and offers a small respite for hard-pressed household budgets. J

I LABELS & LABEL APPLICATORS

Denny Bros Introduces Wraptac – The New Print Your Own Multi-page Label ith much more space than a convenW tional label and suitable for most container types, Wraptac from Denny Bros lets you print as many or as few labels as you need!

The space comes from one of Wraptac’s core features – it is several times longer than the original label you might be using but wraps around itself, seals and can be opened and closed as often as required.

So, with limited product space on your container and for whatever reason you need or want to communicate more information, you can now say even more without changing your packaging.

It comes on an A4 sheet of toughened paper that you print on virtually any machine – your desktop or office printer and even commercial printing machines.

And you can print one sheet at a time resulting in a multi-page label quickly available at very low cost. That makes it suitable 68

for low volumes of print or even labelling for product trials and testing.

Depending on the finished label size you need, 3 sizes are currently being produced with a choice of 3, 4 or 5 labels included on any one A4 sheet. They are micro-perforatFOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, MARCH 2014

ed so you can easily remove each label separately. The clever addition of preapplied self-adhesive strips fixes Wraptac to your container and allows easy opening and closing ideal for repeated reference.

And, because you can print both sides of the patented Wraptac wrap-around label, you’ll no longer need leaflets that become separated from your product – you’ll have more than enough space.

Denny Bros created the original multipage leaflet-label Fix-a-Form but are pleased to add Wraptac to a growing range of digitally printable media where you decide how many, how often and when you want to print!

The only thing to do now is to request some free samples to realise just how simple and quick it will be to create your own wrap-around product labelling with Wraptac. For further information, call 01284 701381 or visit www.dennybros .com. J